Natalie Feng

Can You Accept Living an Ordinary, Even Mediocre Life?

Many people underestimate themselves.

This statement isn’t intended to urge you to achieve great feats, amass wealth, or chase after fame. Rather, it’s to highlight how easily we diminish the vastness of our own being, eroding parts of our true selves in the process.

The concepts of “ordinary” and “mediocre” are constructs rooted in society’s utilitarian framework, shaped through constant comparison with others. But life itself—the segment between birth and death, both of which are beyond our control—offers us the unique opportunity to carve out experiences through our own efforts. To label this precious journey as merely “ordinary” or “mediocre” reduces it to a mere struggle for survival, akin to beasts in the wild competing for scraps, driven only by primal hunger and thirst.

In doing so, we become prisoners of a societal cage—a prison of our own making, willingly submitting to the tyranny of desires while refusing to lift our gaze to broader horizons.

Ironically, when stripped of material abundance, one often perceives the richness of life more vividly. Our senses sharpen, shifting from broad radars to focused lasers. Joy emerges from simple things: supportive families, kind neighbors, cherished friendships, enlightening books, and wise teachers. These sources of happiness don’t rely on economic wealth. Standing on the barren shores of material scarcity, one can see beyond society’s utilitarian values, discovering treasures that flow freely, unbound by money.

True happiness doesn’t lie in the cash in our hands or the status beneath our feet.

Inner emptiness is the root of boredom, driving us to seek constant external stimulation to feel alive. This void fuels our endless pursuit of social engagements, entertainment, and luxury, often leading to indulgence and eventual discontent. The antidote to this suffering is cultivating a rich inner world—a wellspring of thought and spirit.

Schopenhauer once said:

“A brilliant life is often just the life of a prisoner to desires. Wealth is like seawater; the more you drink, the thirstier you become. The same goes for fame. Reputation is the external display of conscience; conscience is the hidden reputation within.”

The true value of profound thought isn’t in generating wealth but in transcending the mundane. Through thought, our spirits soar above summer skies, brushing against the stars, gazing down at the fleeting world below.

Throughout history, many remarkable souls have lived in humble circumstances, coughing quietly in drafty huts, overlooked by the “successful” of their times. They couldn’t escape Confucius’s leaky thatched roofs, Tao Yuanming’s modest five willows, or Su Dongpo’s simple dish of braised pork. Yet, the answers to life lay bare before them: beyond societal expectations, one need not be a prisoner. Humans possess the power to grow wings and rise above it all.

Within our chests beats a heart light enough to recognize what truly matters. The most beautiful peach blossoms aren’t those cultivated in lavish gardens for the entertainment of the elite. Instead, they bloom along dusty roads, discovered unexpectedly on a leisurely stroll, under soft spring rain or warm sunshine. Encountering such beauty, unadorned and pure, surpasses any manufactured luxury.

The essence of things isn’t in their economic value but in the experiences they evoke. We are like deep-sea creatures, brushing against the fabric of time and space with our sensitive underbellies, leaving invisible traces of touch and memory.

We come from darkness and will return to it, but life itself exists in the brief stretch in between. Air flows through our lungs, food through our bodies, money through our hands—all eventually consumed and gone. What remains are the hidden sensations within, the faint tingles of memory, condensed into lived experiences. This is the essence of life.

In the prison of existence, I’ve become cunning. I’ve learned the rules, played various roles, and acquired material comforts. Yet, I remain detached, uninterested in the throne atop this cage. My true wealth lies in the fleeting experiences that have brushed against me—whether extreme or mundane—reveling in the essence of things themselves.

Where is the top of the cage? It lies both on the surface of life and deep within the soul.

If one waits for material abundance to pursue freedom, they will never be free. True freedom exists beyond material constraints. As Italo Calvino said, it lies in that which is light and transcendent.