You Can't Experience Everything and That's Great!
Photo: Colorado, 2025.
We live in an unprecedented time in history. There has never been a time with more access to books, movies, tv, video games, places to visit, etc. With the internet, we can download every hit movie, tv show, video game, or album. With modern vehicles, we can fly, drive, or boat nearly anywhere if we have the funds for it.
When someone suggests a new movie that we "have to see", it now adds stress because it's added on to the list of things we feel like we need to do. Our culture is driven by the fear of missing out (or FOMO). We see this with limited time deals, gacha mechanics in video games, and many other places. Humans don't like the feeling of being left out or missing something. Despite us living in an age of extreme independence as individuals, we want to belong.
The thing is though, you can't experience everything. At first this might sound so pessimistic, but this is actually freeing. It removes the stress of trying to milk everything out of life. We can live a slower life because we're not rushing to try to 100% it. We can slow down and enjoy the experience in front of us while being OK that it means we missed out on something else.
You will miss out on some movies or games. Whatever your passion is, you're going to miss out on some aspects of it. That's OK. Part of what makes us unique as individuals is our unique combination of experiences. Sure, add that movie to the list of things you want to watch, but don't see it as a to-do list. See it as an opportunity list. If the time comes and you get an opportunity to watch it, then great! If not, great!
Credit: Humble Bundle
Something I see this the most with is video games because of sales. I like many people have huge video game libraries, especially on Steam because of sales. I've had my account since June 2010. That's before some internet-goers were born. Since then, I've bought numerous Humble Bundles (back when they were Humble Indie Bundles and had the killer slogan: "Pay what you want. DRM-free. Cross-platform. And helps charity!"). I also couldn't resist Steam sales, especially the summer and winter sales of the early 2010s, and would by what everyone said were "must-play" games. Gamers all over have huge backlogs of games they haven't played because of the same deals over the years. These backlogs are now sources of stress. Similar to the watch list I mentioned, most people see these as to-do lists now instead of opportunity. They feel guilty when they see all of the games they haven't played.
Honestly, I probably don't have enough time left on this planet with all of the responsibilities of life to play through every game I own, there are thousands that I don't have, and there are dozens still coming out each week! This can lead to so much stress if you don't have the right mindset. I've spent an indeterminable amount of money on games over the years, and it feels like it's wasted when I haven't played most of them. However, I can't let that weigh me down. I can only change the future. Now, I only buy games I'm going to play now instead of someday. This has cut down on needless expenses, but more importantly, the guilt of unplayed games doesn't increase. I am writing this at the tail end of the Steam and Nintendo eShop sales, which have been a test of this resolve.
Basically, change your mindset about things you haven't experienced yet and what you have access to. Life is literally too short to experience it all, so don't stress about what you're missing. Enjoy what you can and overall you'll be happier than trying to cram it all in. Savor your meals instead of wolfing them down.