> I have lost my drive for intellectual and creative pursuits, though. I've got a point where I've already figured out all the things I was curious about in my youth and no more have been added to the list. It just doesn't seem worth it with nobody to share life with.
I completely feel you on this. And for months at a time I have been lost without any. Inspiration is hard to find, but it's out there I think. Competence plays a big factor. It's no fun to do things you suck at, but you've grown bored of the stuff you ARE good at. Basically I have to commit to a slog (like an instrument) until momentum is built, or find something with immediate gratification (like reading about a salient topic in my life).
In either case, it's just a coping mechanism I think, not a solution.
Volunteering makes total sense. I think we're really good at doing things for ourselves but that stops delivering after a decade of succeeding at that. Many people cite helping others as central to the meaning in their lives.
I completely feel you on this. And for months at a time I have been lost without any. Inspiration is hard to find, but it's out there I think. Competence plays a big factor. It's no fun to do things you suck at, but you've grown bored of the stuff you ARE good at. Basically I have to commit to a slog (like an instrument) until momentum is built, or find something with immediate gratification (like reading about a salient topic in my life).
In either case, it's just a coping mechanism I think, not a solution.
Volunteering makes total sense. I think we're really good at doing things for ourselves but that stops delivering after a decade of succeeding at that. Many people cite helping others as central to the meaning in their lives.