Angst & Apathy

Ususally angst is defined as a feeling of deep anxiety, dread, fear, depression, misery, despair, hopelessness... (the list goes on and on) "typically an unfocused one [feeling] about the human condition or the state of the world in general." Thanks Miriam & Webster and MAC dictionaries for the gloom. Most of the world ascribes angst to teens because they have so much fun being melodramas about life. It's a hormone thing I'm sure. But I much prefer the Urban Dictionary definition of angst which is:

Angst, often confused with anxiety, is a transcendent emotion in that it combines the unbearable anguish of life with the hopes of overcoming this seemingly impossible situation.

Granted, my angst is not this serious, but it does exist. Yes, young adults have angst too. There comes a point in your unemployment journey where you begin to think there is no end to the road; no one will ever call you for an interview or to inquire about your references; there is no point to looking anymore; You are DOOMED to forever be the awkward hybrid of a couch-potato/ gym-rat. But then someone does call you back, or is impressed with how you can hold a conversation, or sends out your resume for you, and that little annoying fuzz ball, Hope, starts to bounce around again. So I guess you could say that I fall into the angst category because, surprisingly, I still have hope.


But then again there is the extreme apathy that accompanies unemployment. Sometimes you just don't care anymore. You give up, throw in the towel, and would much rather sit on your couch watching SportsCenter and How I Met Your Mother then even give the futile résumé send out another chance. Spasmodically, you are completely incapable of being the competitive go-getter that your normal employed-self is. At times I also fall into this category.

Much like the many other famous word pairings, such as Crime & Punishment, Pride & Prejudice, War & Peace, etc., Angst & Apathy is temperamental, long winded, has it's highs and lows, some moments of hope or love or beauty or laughs, and most importantly, an ending. How soon that ending will come is unknown, but with prayer and petition it will eventually happen. So here's to staying hopeful. And don't worry, true to form, the next blog will be fully dedicated to sports.


-Educated & Unemployed


"For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart." - Jeremiah 29: 11-13