In 2018 I bought a 1999 B-1500 Dodge Ram Van. My plan, which was barely a plan, was to live in the van for the remainder of grad school and then use it to travel.
About 8 months later, my van, Vandler Bing, gassed out and was put to rest.
This wasn’t my first attempt at escapism.
In 2013, when I graduated from high school, I moved across 9 hours for college. It was the furthest I could travel, while still paying in-state tuition.
Between the 5 years that I started college and bought a van there were two consistent factors in my life that led to my feelings of escapism; which I was only able to recognize after reading The Fall of Public Man by Richard Sennett.
- I had an unbalanced personal life,
- Accompanied by an empty public life.
There were actually 3 lessons that I gained from those two facts.
- I needed to organize my personal life,
- Find fulfillment socially,
- And nearly everyone has felt this way.
This is a very obvious wake-up call that most can relate too, but still don’t know how to proceed.
Knowing that you have to organize your relationships, or move to a job more fulfilling isn’t enough.
Thankfully, 5 years after having first picked up The Fall of Public Man, I can say that the secret to organizing your personal life and satisfying an empty public life is being vulnerable. You must be vulnerable with yourself to fix your personal life. And vulnerable with others to fix your public life.
If you do this, you’ll never experience escapism again.
If you’ve found this information useful, share it with a few friends!
Until tomorrow,
Chandler Ball
P.S. This was originally sent on June 25, 2023. Sign up today for the Unstuck Newsletter and Become Unstuck!