I’ve lived here a decade, and I’m still shocked by how many people in Portland have absolutely no goals. Some own homes, have pets, have good jobs—but that’s it. They maybe have a few hobbies that focus on their home or dog, but they seemingly have no purpose in life. One does not need to be religious or spiritual to have a stake in the most common goal: to make the world better. And yet, even this goal is seemingly lost within the vapid mind of locals too busy focusing on the next best pop-up club, where to sit on bluffs, or if their dog loves them. I constantly meet people whose entire existence seems focused on the idea that pleasure for the sake of pleasure is a meaningful goal. It’s not. It’s selfish and childish. And if they’re not wrapped up in themselves, they’ve seemingly given up. With everything life now has to offer, if all you have are the trappings of a mundane life, I really feel sorry for you.—Anonymous