It means something like a kind of dulled grayness or ordinariness of life.

它代表着一种,生活的灰暗，单调。

耶鲁公开课 - 文学理论导论课程节选

Even what we think in our vulgar ways to be inanimate objects - even they seem to have within them something like a potency, a potency of life or an infusion of divine spirit.

即使是那些我们以通俗的眼光看来没有生命的物体,-即使是它们也有一种潜质，一种生命的潜质，似乎被注入了神灵。

耶鲁公开课 - 弥尔顿课程节选

But even if you do survive-- let's the ground floor-- even if you do survive, you would lead a life of constant frustration-- refusing to accept something that is there whether you like it or not.

即使你幸存下来-,比如你在一楼-,就算你真得幸存下来，你的生活将是处处受挫-,拒绝接受现实事物,不论你喜欢与否。

哈佛公开课 - 幸福课课程节选