On Shallow Living

For many of us, there lurks an inner fear that we are not living deeply and meaningfully enough.

We suspect that our day-to-day lives become too caught up in superficial concerns and distractions, keeping us skimming along the surface of existence rather than plunging into its depths. This sense that we are living shallowly can fill us with quiet desperation.

The markers of a shallow life are all around us. Do our conversations rarely move beyond basic platitudes and small talk? Are we constantly distracted by social media, pop culture, and other trifles? Do we avoid challenging intellectual, creative, and spiritual pursuits in favour of easy comforts and diversions? Do we often feel bored, apathetic, or adrift — even amid a full schedule?

These symptoms point to lives centred around temporary things rather than substantial ideas and pursuits.

This is not to say we should become ascetics and renounce all fun or leisure. But we feel hollow when superficialities dominate. We desire lives with a richness of purpose, meaning, and impact.

How, then, do we plunge into the depths?

The solutions are both simple and profoundly complex. We must cultivate presence, listen more to our inner wisdom than outer voices, and nurture our humanity through compassion and character. We must push beyond…