Their own destiny is a far-off thing to them ... One declines, descends, trickles away, even crumbles away, and yet is hardly conscious of it one's self. It always ends, it is true, in an awakening, but the awakening is tardy. In the meantime, it seems as though we held ourselves neutral in the game which is going on between our happiness and our unhappiness. We are the stake, and we look on at the game with indifference.
The quote from Victor Hugo's "Les Miserables" reflects on the human condition and the almost passive way we navigate our lives. It suggests that people often view their own destinies as distant and ungraspable. As we live, we may slowly decline or deteriorate, yet most of us remain oblivious to this process. The passage highlights a sense of ease in the struggle between happiness and unhappiness, where individuals seem to observe rather than participate actively in their fate.
This indifference to our own life's progression emphasizes a common human experience: the feeling of being caught in a game where we are both the player and the stake. While there may ultimately be an awakening to our reality, it tends to come after a considerable delay. This contemplation encourages readers to recognize the importance of actively engaging with their lives rather than remaining mere observers of their own experiences.
