I Think A Lot About How We As A Culture Have Turned “forever” Into The Only Acceptable Definition

I think a lot about how we as a culture have turned “forever” into the only acceptable definition of success.

Like… if you open a coffee shop and run it for a while and it makes you happy but then stuff gets too expensive and stressful and you want to do something else so you close it, it’s a “failed” business. If you write a book or two, then decide that you don’t actually want to keep doing that, you’re a “failed” writer. If you marry someone, and that marriage is good for a while, and then stops working and you get divorced, it’s a “failed” marriage.

The only acceptable “win condition” is “you keep doing that thing forever”. A friendship that lasts for a few years but then its time is done and you move on is considered less valuable or not a “real” friendship. A hobby that you do for a while and then are done with is a “phase” - or, alternatively, a “pity” that you don’t do that thing any more. A fandom is “dying” because people have had a lot of fun with it but are now moving on to other things.

I just think that something can be good, and also end, and that thing was still good. And it’s okay to be sad that it ended, too. But the idea that anything that ends is automatically less than this hypothetical eternal state of success… I don’t think that’s doing us any good at all.

More Posts from Ayoungwomansthoughts and Others

3 years ago

you know what my perfect gift would be? an annotated copy of your favourite book. i don’t just mean a couple of tabs, i mean annotated. i mean highlighted to the ends of the earth, pages black with scribbled annotations, entire pages underlined and captioned ‘THIS’. i want to see tear stains on the pages, corners bent from when you threw it across the room, spine broken because you were too absorbed in the story to care. i want paragraphs of you yelling at characters, i want your witty remarks and sarcastic comments, i want your little doodles in the margins. because then you’re not just giving me a book. you’re giving me a little piece of yourself, and i think that’s the best gift you could give.

3 years ago
It Is The Famous Palladium Dress Designed By Gianfranco Ferré For A 1992 Dior Collection.

It is the famous Palladium Dress designed by Gianfranco Ferré for a 1992 Dior collection.

3 years ago
“I Love You. Infinitely And Inexpressibly. I’ve Woken Up In The Middle Of The Night And Here I Am

“I love you. Infinitely and inexpressibly. I’ve woken up in the middle of the night and here I am writing this. My love, my happiness.” –  Vladimir Nabokov, from a letter to Vera (January 19, 1925), featured in “Letters To Vera” by Vladimir Nabokov (Russian, 1899-1977)

3 years ago
L.M. Montgomery, Anne Of Green Gables

L.M. Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables

4 years ago

Does anyone have any tips on what programs I should look into to study French? Also any tips for studying this language. I’m thinking about studying abroad but I want to know the language and not seem like an ignorant dummy. 


Tags
3 years ago

“Never say no to adventures. Always say yes, otherwise you’ll lead a very dull life.”

— Ian Fleming

3 years ago

“I used to dislike being sensitive. I thought it made me weak. But take away that single trait, and you take away the very essence of who I am. You take away my conscience, my ability to empathize, my intuition, my creativity, my deep appreciation for the little things, my vivid inner life, my deep awareness of others’ pain, and my passion for it all.”

3 years ago

“If you’re reading this, if there’s air in your lungs on this November day, then there is still hope for you. Your story is still going. And maybe some things are true for all of us. Perhaps we all relate to pain. Perhaps we all relate to fear and loss and questions. And perhaps we all deserve to be honest, all deserve whatever help we need. Our stories are all so many things: Heavy and light. Beautiful and difficult. Hopeful and uncertain. But our stories aren’t finished yet. There is still time, for things to heal and change and grow. There is still time to be surprised. We are still going, you and I. We are stories still going.”

— Jamie Tworkowski

  • cloverlavendersage
    cloverlavendersage reblogged this · 2 months ago
  • littledragonfliez
    littledragonfliez liked this · 2 months ago
  • fivestarpotato
    fivestarpotato reblogged this · 2 months ago
  • cyanide-muffins
    cyanide-muffins reblogged this · 2 months ago
  • sautethehorrors
    sautethehorrors liked this · 2 months ago
  • heystovepipeboys
    heystovepipeboys reblogged this · 2 months ago
  • heystovepipeboys
    heystovepipeboys liked this · 2 months ago
  • atowncalledher
    atowncalledher reblogged this · 2 months ago
  • blueberrycheesecake32
    blueberrycheesecake32 liked this · 2 months ago
  • estradasphere
    estradasphere liked this · 2 months ago
  • jellogram
    jellogram reblogged this · 2 months ago
  • that-bvb-fan
    that-bvb-fan liked this · 2 months ago
  • 2amgem
    2amgem liked this · 2 months ago
  • starshipsorceress
    starshipsorceress liked this · 2 months ago
  • lurking-kitty
    lurking-kitty liked this · 2 months ago
  • curiousorigins
    curiousorigins reblogged this · 2 months ago
  • curiousorigins
    curiousorigins liked this · 2 months ago
  • maybeasunflower
    maybeasunflower reblogged this · 2 months ago
  • ange2pie
    ange2pie liked this · 2 months ago
  • impulsivelycontentious
    impulsivelycontentious reblogged this · 2 months ago
  • impulsivelycontentious
    impulsivelycontentious liked this · 2 months ago
  • brightyor
    brightyor liked this · 2 months ago
  • pigeonquincey
    pigeonquincey reblogged this · 2 months ago
  • pigeonquincey
    pigeonquincey liked this · 2 months ago
  • lookadreygon
    lookadreygon reblogged this · 2 months ago
  • freshlyfleshfailing
    freshlyfleshfailing reblogged this · 2 months ago
  • freshlyfleshfailing
    freshlyfleshfailing liked this · 2 months ago
  • hubcaptastrophe
    hubcaptastrophe reblogged this · 2 months ago
  • time-loop-thuesday
    time-loop-thuesday liked this · 2 months ago
  • enbysaurus-rex
    enbysaurus-rex reblogged this · 2 months ago
  • spinononononono
    spinononononono liked this · 2 months ago
  • dxmedstudent
    dxmedstudent liked this · 2 months ago
  • goofnuggetkarlaa
    goofnuggetkarlaa reblogged this · 2 months ago
  • reverenddaughterharrow
    reverenddaughterharrow reblogged this · 2 months ago
  • sad-gay-baby
    sad-gay-baby reblogged this · 2 months ago
  • botanicalbonelord
    botanicalbonelord reblogged this · 2 months ago
  • botanicalbonelord
    botanicalbonelord liked this · 2 months ago
  • tinygemini
    tinygemini liked this · 2 months ago
  • dappleganger
    dappleganger reblogged this · 2 months ago
  • fightboat
    fightboat reblogged this · 2 months ago
  • forbiddenpebble
    forbiddenpebble liked this · 2 months ago
  • bebidocrimes
    bebidocrimes reblogged this · 2 months ago
  • lantaren
    lantaren reblogged this · 2 months ago
  • vaderztaterz
    vaderztaterz reblogged this · 2 months ago
  • hellospriggan
    hellospriggan reblogged this · 2 months ago
  • shadow-queens-blog
    shadow-queens-blog reblogged this · 2 months ago
  • ghostysword
    ghostysword liked this · 2 months ago
  • sufferingcereal
    sufferingcereal reblogged this · 2 months ago
  • sprigganlikes
    sprigganlikes reblogged this · 2 months ago
  • lagomorphaaa
    lagomorphaaa liked this · 2 months ago
ayoungwomansthoughts - A Young Woman's Thoughts
A Young Woman's Thoughts

Thoughts of a very complicated girl.

141 posts

Explore Tumblr Blog
Search Through Tumblr Tags