A 33-year-old Indian-origin man living in the US has sparked a conversation among NRIs after describing a strange emptiness despite achieving almost everything he once dreamed of.
In a post on Reddit, the man wrote that he was “literally living the life” he had once prayed for, but could not feel the happiness he expected to come with it.
His story began far differently. He said he came from a lower-middle-class family in India, where his mother was the main breadwinner and earned around ₹10,000 a month at one point. At 21, he secured admission to a reputed European university with almost-free tuition, but had to take a loan of about ₹2 lakh to make the move.
The early days abroad were difficult. He said he struggled to find part-time work, eventually running out of money because he did not want to ask his mother for more. At one point, he claimed he slept outside and went without food for three days before someone at a restaurant helped him find work. However, HT.com could not independently verify the authenticity of this post.
From survival mode to the life he once wanted
{{/usCountry}}From survival mode to the life he once wanted
{{/usCountry}}More than a decade later, his circumstances had changed dramatically.
The man said he went on to receive a full tuition scholarship and assistantship at a top-five engineering school in the US and later completed an MBA at an Ivy League institution. He also lived and worked in several countries before obtaining a Green Card.
His personal life, too, had fallen into place. He married the woman he loved, who works in healthcare, and said both have well-paying jobs. They have a child, while his work is fully remote, allowing him to spend more time with the family.
He also said his parents visit the US every year and that his in-laws live in the same town. His mother and sibling are doing well.
Yet, despite reaching milestones that once seemed almost impossible, he said he feels “flat”.
“Everything on that list was a prayer at some point, and every one of them became normal inside two weeks,” he wrote.
‘There is nobody to blame anymore’
The part of the post that appeared to resonate most with commenters was his description of life after the struggle.
“There is nobody to blame anymore. No villain, no crisis, nothing to point at,” he wrote, questioning whether the feeling of being allowed to have a good life eventually arrives, or whether people simply keep moving towards the next goal.
The discussion that followed ranged from gratitude and journaling to finding hobbies, volunteering, mentoring and building stronger community connections. Some commenters suggested therapy or speaking with a doctor, while others described the feeling as a natural consequence of constantly chasing the next milestone.
Several commenters also pointed to the idea of the “hedonic treadmill” the tendency for major achievements to become ordinary once people adjust to them.