Intention

CHAPTER 2A Languishing World

“I would prefer not to.”

— Herman Melville, Bartleby, the Scrivener

There's a powerful gravity to modern life, pulling us toward routine, passivity, and meaningless actions. We've all been victims of this force. It lures us to the couch when we should go for a run. It tempts us to watch TV instead of starting that creative project. It hinders us from taking a chance on love, taking control of our lives, and living up to our true potential.

In short, a staple of modern life is being in a state of languish. Neither mentally healthy nor mentally ill, just in a generalized “blah-ness.” Coined by Corey Keyes in the early 2000s, languish is an emptiness and stagnation, constituting “a life of quiet despair.” People who languish describe themselves and their lives as “hollow,” “empty,” “a shell,” and “a void.”¹ As eloquently expressed by Adam Grant in his widely read New York Times piece, languishing comes with “the dulling of delight and the dwindling of drive.”²

How did we get here? How is it possible that in an era that has blessed us with longer life expectancy, and in societies with unprecedented comfort and security, we find ourselves grappling with escalating depression,³ anxiety,⁴ and suicide rates?⁵ Why is it that the same modern technology and tools that have made us almost godlike compared to our ancestors leave many of us feeling powerless? How is it that workplaces, that have never cared so much about fostering purpose and meaning, feel ...