There’s this YouTube channel I watch, the Urban Rescue Ranch. Between the onslaught of unhinged Texan farmer turned memer are moments of stopping to admire the animals he cares for. You may see capybaras, wallabies, or a kangaroo lying around in the distance, or you may check in on a hay-filled prairie dog habitat. Either way, seeing these animals content to exist reminds me to appreciate simply existing in comfort.
We’ve placed a burden on ourselves to always be productive. Even when work’s done, you may be working on a side hustle, your education, your media literacy, your future, or your potential future. It’s easy to feel like any time not spent on monetary or personal enrichment is wasted. That said, you’ve probably felt this way while doing exactly nothing.
It’s futile to spend all your energy on progress, and you shouldn’t try to. Sapient or not, we’re still animals, and we aren’t built for playing made-up societal games all day long. The world runs on its own cycles. Getting caught up in the ones people abstracted in the past 100 years is a pipeline to misery. Remember to breathe. Remember that you don’t have to be more than you already are. You are alive, and that’s enough.
