“Without cyclical repetition, our lives dissolve into empty noise devoid of content. Without repetition, there is no obligation. Repetition is getting up every morning and making pack lunches for the kids. It’s visiting old friends, even though they may be depressed and not that fun to be around.
“It is absurd to be eternally mobile, positive and focused on the future, and to put the self at the centre of everything in life. Not only is it absurd, it also has adverse consequences for interpersonal relationships, as other people are quickly reduced to instruments to be used in the individual’s pursuit of success, rather than an end in themselves, to whom we have moral obligations. The finest things about human beings are our sense of duty, peace of mind and dignity.” ~ Svend Brinkmann
From: The Joy of Missing Out by Svend Brinkmann
Svend Brinkmann is a Danish Professor of Psychology in the Department of Communication and Psychology at Aalborg University, Denmark. He serves as a co-director of the Center for Qualitative Studies and is the author of ‘The Joy of Missing Out’ and ‘Stand Firm’.
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