If giving in to life’s whims without ever giving up can unlock doors we never knew existed, why do we struggle with remaining nimble in the face of disruption?

At that point, we tend to fall back on one of three defense mechanisms, where we abandon our curiosity, our ambition, or both: Cynicism: Doomscrolling, passing up opportunities, poking fun at earnest people. Like the Beast before he meets Belle, we see transformation as a source of meaningless work, and we abandon any desire to build a good life.