The Craving, the Nihilist, and the Content
No one talks about the content man. The man who has learned to live with little is the man who remains invisible to the eyes of history. His exploits are less brave and daring than the adventurous, whose appetite for new experiences drives him to indulge in the dangerous yet delightful activities. While the adventurous push the limits of nature, society, spirit, and even reality itself, the content man seeks to understand nature, society, and spirit on their own terms. Understanding these, he seeks not to overcome them or push their boundaries, but to understand his place and how he should act in the world as he sees it. Understanding his place in the world, he seeks to become a part of it, embrace it as it presents itself. The content man does not suffer from anhedonia; on the contrary, he is more like Aristotle’s favorite moral archetype, the man who follows the golden mean between craving and nihilism.
With the nihilist, he shares the view of the utter meaningless of life. With the craving man, he shares hope, a hope that he will make an impact on the world, or the hope that one’s time is spent well. The craving man forces his presence on the world while the content man is present, and will be appreciative is anyone should notice him. He will not make a show of his acts. To be here, present, is enough; anything else is a treat.
The content man is brave, though differently than the craving. The nihilist shuns meaning, turns away from it as if the idea of meaning itself is a curse to be avoided. The content understands that inherent, objective meaning for humans does not exist. Yet he turns toward the world not in despair, but in an effort to live. Not promised anything, he works for his spot in the world, and appreciates any fortune he receives as a meaningless world necessarily means that fortune is fickle and will fade as quickly as it came. The nihilist will be suspicious of fortune, and turn his nose at it, as if to show he is too good for it. I do not wish to be the nihilist. Let me be the content man, and not seek the folly of craving.
