avatarAurellia T. Elisha

Summary

The article argues that living passionately is not a mandatory life path and that the concept of life purpose is a modern construct influenced by societal norms and expectations.

Abstract

The article "3 Reasons Why You Don’t Have to Live Passionately" challenges the societal pressure to have a clear life purpose and to live passionately. It suggests that the search for a life purpose is a relatively recent phenomenon, emerging with the advent of modern civilization and individualism. The author reflects on how in pre-civilization times, people lived without questioning their existence, simply enjoying what nature provided. The piece also criticizes the glorification of constant busyness and the internalized belief that one must always be pursuing a passion to be happy. It points out that happiness does not necessarily stem from living passionately and that the choice to live a slower-paced life should be acknowledged. The author emphasizes that personal fulfillment and happiness can be found in simply living, without the need to adhere to society's expectations of passionate living.

Opinions

  • The author believes that the concept of a life purpose is an illusion and a byproduct of modern life, not a fundamental human need.
  • There is a critique of the societal reinforcement that equates living passionately with success and happiness.
  • The article suggests that the modern obsession with finding a passion to pursue is unnecessary and that contentment can be found in a less intense approach to life.
  • The author posits that happiness is subjective and can result from different lifestyles, not just from living passionately or achieving societal standards of success.
  • The author encourages readers to consider that living without a clear passion can still lead to a fulfilling life, as long as one finds happiness in their chosen path.

3 Reasons Why You Don’t Have to Live Passionately

Similar to money, the purpose of life is only an illusion

Photo by Andriyko Podilnyk on Unsplash

The moment you start to speak and understand the meaning of words, everyone you know will ask about what you want to be or what your purpose in life is at least once.

If you’re anything like me, then that means you don’t know the answer to the said question, and people look at you weirdly when you tell them that. Especially those who are older than you.

Although I understand the concern or rather, curiosity, living passionately or not is a choice, not an obligation. Here are why.

The Purpose of Life Was Only Born Because of Modernity

Trying to find the purpose of my life led me to a realization. Think about it. In the olden days, where people are still living a nomadic life in little groups, way before civilization was created, there was no question behind humans’ existence. Life was simple.

You live with your community and maybe take on a role in your group. You hunt, cook, or do whatever you want. Basically, you enjoy what the world naturally has for you. You just live.

Steven Pressfield stated in The War of Art that humans only started questioning their life’s purpose when they got the freedom the civilization granted. It was when people started living individually.

However, we were programmed for very long years to live in a group that we’re dysfunctional as individuals. Or, as we can’t do everything by ourselves, we’ll eventually create problems. Those problems form a purpose for people.

Let’s say that at the beginning of civilization, I couldn’t fix a table by myself. So, you helped me fix it. By doing so countless times, you may generate a purpose of helping people by building sturdier tables for the world then.

As you can see, the purpose of life was constructed, and the people of the past were able to live without it. So, why are we so obsessed with it now?

To Live Passionately Is a Reinforced Idea

We all have internalized the idea of living passionately or being busy all the time. Whether it is from seeing our parents work twenty-four seven, or from seeing the wonders of the non-stop hustle-bustle in New York.

The idea has been ingrained and normalized in our heads. No one ever said that we can live a decent medium-paced life, so we never thought that it could be an option.

It’s similar to this story of monkeys I heard a few months ago.

There is a group of monkeys who tried to pick bananas from a barb-wired tree and ended up electrocuted. So, they never tried it again.

Years later, the younger generation of monkeys wanted to pick the bananas off the same tree. The older ones told them that it was impossible and that they would get electrocuted.

However, the young ones succeeded easily.

Little did the older generation knows, the electric flow had been cut for a while then, and they could have been eating bananas way earlier.

In our case, we don’t have to live such busy lives anymore if we do not want to because the world is way more advanced and overpopulated compared to our parents’ generation.

The world is changing, so the ways around it are too, and we have a choice.

Living Passionately Does Not Guarantee Happiness

We look up to successful people who are living passionately and seem happy like Billie Eilish or BTS. We’re compelled to be that way too as it seems that working hard at something can give us a similar satisfaction or happiness.

We ignore the fact that they are living passionately because they have a deep interest in what they’re doing, and therefore, are happily pursuing it.

Meanwhile, there are a lot like me, who have been living passionately only because of the reinforced idea that we should do so. I get good grades and am currently in university only because it’s expected of me.

I can tell you that I am not happy, and that’s why I stopped chasing for perfection as well as why I started writing again. Instead of living passionately, I just live.

Final Thoughts

Asking people to live not-passionately is unheard of, but you do have a choice to do so. You don’t have to live as told because there is no such thing as exactly determining the purpose of your life, it comes during the process of living.

Whichever you decide to do, make sure you’re happy doing it.

And as BTS was mentioned, here’s a related quote to think about from one of the members:

“Do we really have to live passionately? Is it really related to ‘Happiness’? If accomplishing gives happiness to you, you may live passionately, but if you feel happiness from the gentle things, you don’t have to”

— Suga, BTS

Are you socially awkward? Fret not, click the link below to find out why it’s awesome:

Self
Life
Self Improvement
Happiness
Self Love
Recommended from ReadMedium