Unambitious Loser

The Onion has lots of satirical and/or caustic articles on a variety of topics. Like take this recent article on the insanity of society demanding that people be ambitious (socially, professionally, financially, you name it) even if they are perfectly happy as they are.

The article in question is about an imaginary guy named Michael Husmer:
“an unmotivated washout who’s perfectly comfortable being a nobody for the rest of his life.”
So is he living without creature comforts? Nope, he:
“is able to afford a comfortable lifestyle without going into debt.”
Is he bored then? Actually, he is quite engaged, just not in pursuits that society approves:
“he has nothing better to do than “sit around all day” being an involved member of his community and using his ample free time to follow pursuits that give him genuine pleasure.”

How can somebody not want to face the pressure and stress that comes with ambition, one of his friends wondered:
“he’s still hanging around the same places from high school, focusing on the things that matter most to him, and existing as a relaxed, easygoing person who’s fun to be around. I can’t imagine anything sadder than that.”
Isn’t it just pathetic to be the guy:
“not obsessed with climbing the corporate ladder and impressing complete strangers with my job title”?
How can someone just “coast through life”:
“by putting considerable time and effort into his rewarding marriage, playing an active role in his two children’s lives, and being sincerely thankful for what he has in this world.”

Now be honest and check if you feel most people would disagree with what one of Husmer’s friends said:
“The last thing I’d ever want is to have a loving family nearby, feel a sense of pleasure when reflecting on my life, and be the big failure that everyone runs into when they visit home once a year for the holidays.”

And as the article said, what really gets to society is the fact that:
“The poor guy doesn’t even know how bad he has it.”

How sad! What a loser!

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