Don’t Be Fooled by the Cliche Listicles Claiming to Teach You How to Win At life

This story may sound like a parody. Any resemblance with real persons is probably correct.

Photo by Christin Hume on Unsplash

When I'm browsing on social media, I feel like an old lady because I confess that I often roll my eyes when I read platitudes aimed as inspirational bits. When I look at the number of likes or reactions those postings are getting, I realize that people are suckers for easy messages on the brain.

The King serves for demand, and he’s thriving due to the commons. What’s the mechanism? I wanted to see for myself so I took a closer look.

A definition first.

platitude /ˈplatɪtjuːd/ noun. Plural noun: platitudes

1. a remark or statement, especially one with a moral content, has been used too often to be interesting or thoughtful.

And now, let’s take some examples from the very King of Platitudes.

You’re doing the best you can

What this reads to me is, “you’re free to die in mediocrity.” In principle, we all should be doing the best we can, but are we, really, in reality? This syntagm is an excuse for not striving for the best. Instead, tell your friend next time: “You can do…