<< Originally written over 6 years ago, was in draft mode near perpetuity :) - finally published on 10/19/22 >>
Living in the US hasn't done much good to my English except add some slang to it. I blame it on the lost habit of reading. Every now and then I pick up some new words from conversation and movies but nothing builds language skills like reading a classic novel or a good newspaper. A few months ago I came across a friend's blog post and it was where I came across 'ennui'. I looked up the meaning and coincidentally that was the state of my mind. Ennui refers to a feeling of boredom, uninterested-ness in everything; it's not depression but a
general blah at all things. Sounds familiar?
There's something about hitting your 30s that makes you introspect more. Or may be it's with each passing decade you contemplate more and more, reflect on your past more...."what am I doing with my life?", "I have totally lost myself!", "does this job even make any sense?". A lot of such introspection in 30s is what I think eventually leads to a so-called mid-life crisis. Given the fast-paced generation that we are, it's not uncommon to hear the term quarter-life crisis these days.
The reason I think about ennui now is I recently watched an Albert Brooks movie that dealt the subject with wit and humor. I found 'Lost in America' during one of my aimless Netflix search sessions. The central characters in the film are a wife and husband living a dull life in the suburbs, working at jobs that are just jobs. They are always waiting for that next promotion, that next bigger house, the next fancier car etc. You know, your typical middle class couple. Then unexpectedly their life changes when the man doesn't get the promotion he so expected to. They decide to drop out of the rat race and 'find themselves'. So they start this road-trip without a destination in mind...sort of like their life so far without an aim. It's during the road-trip that they discover the forgotten truth about the beauty of everyday life. You see when you get used to living life a certain way, working a certain way, you fail to recognize the things to be thankful for and the things you accomplish/ed each day. During their road-trip the couple loses all money and has to deal with working end of the line jobs in fast food centers and such and that is when they realize that they are smarter than the regular joes that are now their neighbors and their bosses. The jobs they left, although not fulfilling were at the minimal challenging and presented prospects. They gave them hope, even if it was in the form of a materialistic possession such as a new Mercedes. And isn't that what all humans want? To be challenged?
There's something about hitting your 30s that makes you introspect more. Or may be it's with each passing decade you contemplate more and more, reflect on your past more...."what am I doing with my life?", "I have totally lost myself!", "does this job even make any sense?". A lot of such introspection in 30s is what I think eventually leads to a so-called mid-life crisis. Given the fast-paced generation that we are, it's not uncommon to hear the term quarter-life crisis these days.
The reason I think about ennui now is I recently watched an Albert Brooks movie that dealt the subject with wit and humor. I found 'Lost in America' during one of my aimless Netflix search sessions. The central characters in the film are a wife and husband living a dull life in the suburbs, working at jobs that are just jobs. They are always waiting for that next promotion, that next bigger house, the next fancier car etc. You know, your typical middle class couple. Then unexpectedly their life changes when the man doesn't get the promotion he so expected to. They decide to drop out of the rat race and 'find themselves'. So they start this road-trip without a destination in mind...sort of like their life so far without an aim. It's during the road-trip that they discover the forgotten truth about the beauty of everyday life. You see when you get used to living life a certain way, working a certain way, you fail to recognize the things to be thankful for and the things you accomplish/ed each day. During their road-trip the couple loses all money and has to deal with working end of the line jobs in fast food centers and such and that is when they realize that they are smarter than the regular joes that are now their neighbors and their bosses. The jobs they left, although not fulfilling were at the minimal challenging and presented prospects. They gave them hope, even if it was in the form of a materialistic possession such as a new Mercedes. And isn't that what all humans want? To be challenged?
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