We meet dozens of people every day. Most of them have no particular abilities, no particular hobbies, no particular purposes, no particular ambitions, and no particular appearance. And most of them look sad.
Ask them why. You will soon find out where their sadness comes from: they are disappointed for not being able to do certain things. What kind of things? „Well, you know, stuff.” Stuff they couldn’t have done anyway.
People may feel a little bit miserable for losing things; but they could just agonize in despair over things they never had: a manor house, a mistress, a yacht, a pair of blue eyes, a pony.
The common man walking down the street feels he is entitled to experience all sublime pleasures; or, if he really must, the sublime disappointment of not getting the pleasure he has been hoping for.
All those shattered chances – that could never come his way, anyway – make him lose his sleep, his mind, his sobriety. Ah, that glamorous sadness! Ah, that anger that ratifies everything!
He is an expert in looking like he is missing the chance of his life because of some unfortunate circumstances, although none of those circumstances really existed. Of course, he could never really make sense of the chances he already got. It never occurred to him to expand his self-knowledge. Or to explore his reality, looking for viable options, improving his standpoint. Everyday reality is irremediably mediocre. There is nothing in there for him.
Dozens of joyless people wander up and down the hallways of institutions, banks, hotels, gyms, malls, airports heading toward no goal, spreading confusion, misery and nonsensical boredom all around them. Go ahead and ask them something about themselves, you will see, they know nothing. They hardly know their last name.
Still, they look highly disappointed; the disappointment of kings that had their crowns stolen.
(Foto: o.canada.com)
