Sometimes, we’re led to believe that life is an adventure that will be filled with thrilling achievements. More often, though, life calls upon us to take care of the basics, to engage in acts of cleaning and maintenance, not to enable great new accomplishments, but just to keep things as they are. This work doesn’t feel ennobling. It doesn’t enlist us in a sense of purpose. It provides us with nothing but a feeling of drudgery.
Drudgery is the mood that comes from doing work that leads us nowhere. More than just feeling dreary, and more than being weary, drudgery carries an association with work that is repetitive and draining. Drudgery is the opposite of creativity. It wears us down, leaving us dulled, as if our very minds have been scrubbed over and over, removing all of the interesting edges that make life feel worthwhile.
It’s a daily grind, but it never gives us a feeling of polish.
