A person should be satisfied with his life not because he feels satisfied, but because he has good reason to be satisfied. – Bertrand Russell
I haven’t talked about the happiness class in a while. I like Bertrand Russell cause I agree with many of his thoughts and statements. Mostly because they are so common-sensical.
I haven’t read enough of him to say whether I agree with all of his thoughts or not, but I know I like the comments about satisfaction. The terrible thing about most of the people around me is that they have amazing lives and yet they are never satisfied. They live in anticipation. They keep waiting for the next step. The promotion. The raise in salary. More people reporting to them. The bonus.
There is no time to sit and ponder the current situation. There is no time to celebrate. There is no time to appreciate. Life is moving at an unbelievable speed. They need to live in anticipation of the next move. They need to worry about the next step and make sure they’re not passed up for the promotion. There is no time to be satisfied. Satisfaction requires a different point of view. It requires one to slow down and deliberate.
Even if they managed to slow down, they’d never notice the problem. Their views are too distorted. They have absolutely no concept of how much money is ‘enough.’ They don’t know what success is. They don’t understand that life is passing them by and that they’re giving up their youth to corporate America. Don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing with working in corporate America or making a lot of money. But there is something wrong with a twenty-some year-old who doesn’t think that 100grand is a lot of money. There’s something wrong with a kid who’s only six years out of college and doesn’t appreciate the power of having forty people report to him.
These people have long forgotten the feeling of satisfaction. Which is why I find Russell’s words sensible. It’s not about how you feel, it’s about how things are. If you can’t see it clearly, ask around. Try to remove your distorting glasses and look again. I’m not simply saying “Be glad you have arms and legs” though that’s a more valid point than most make it out to be. I’m not saying be satisfied if you don’t have a home to go to. I’m just saying that most of us have an incredible amount to be satisfied about and, for some reason, many of us can’t seem to recognize that. I think we’re so busy running around, trying to achieve the next thing that we can’t feel satisfied. Or the satisfactions are too short and in between struggles.
So maybe Russell’s right. It’s not about feeling satisfied, it’s about being satisfied because you have much reason to and maybe it’s not a good idea to involve feelings. Maybe it’s just a matter of being rational.
Previously? TV.
(Just got back and happy to get to visit here.) I am definitely one of those people who need a strong talking to by Russell; thankfully my husband normally does the honors.
I often get the impression that people around me are constantly running on a treadmill – every step is up, every step is effort, but it just seems to be inevitably followed another step without ever really feeling that they are getting anywhere. Russell needs to talk to me as well, but also most people I know….
Maybe it’s left over catholic guilt (I’m now an atheist) but I am very grateful for what I have and am very aware that there are millions of people who would give their eye teeth to have what I have. All the basics are there – family, health, a roof over my head etc. Anything else is icing on the cake. That sounds pompous and it’s not intended too, I just could never get my head around the “rat race”.
it isnt only as though those people do not appriciate how much they have, its that they have higher (and more material) expectations. so many people are so fixed on the “wheel of daily life” that they forget life slow- moving, and the little joys it brings. ive recently (as in a few days ago…) realized that i too, am becoming too tied to the superficial life we live, so i followed my mothers advice for once and meditated, and i am so pleased with how it made me feel. a bit off track…
anyway what i also wanted to say is that although what “shelagh” said, in that you should put your life in perspective, that is often hard for most people. thats why when a friend asks for advice about something wrong in their life (or what they think is a negative), dont tell them that “starved kids in africa wish they were so lucky..” kinda thing, because that, in turn, makes people feel guilt, as well. the idea of “putting things in perspective” is an easy thought in theory, and easy to say, but hard to mean truthfully, and even harder to actually take that and do something about it! like sending huge donations to those children… not many people take an idea and run with it. thats why its so important to be able to truly self -analyze.