Age Quod Agis

I recently stumbled upon an entry in a friends blog that got me pondering. But before that, let me thank my dear friend donn for having written this (hope this also dismisses the chances of him suing me with copyright infringements):

To Strive and Appreciate

I figured that if anything, appreciating what you have is infinitely more important than seeking new ground, new things, new mental and physical territory. What good is living up to one's potential if one is not satisfied with it?

Sure, the constant striving may expand one's horizon, making one go beyond his or her pre-conceived limitations. But does being better in any way mean anything, if one is never satisfied with whatever one gets?

There's always going to be someone, somewhere, better than one in some way. When is one ever good enough? When does one say, "okay, this is it, I've attained what I've sought"?

Why do we bother to sow the best seeds when the fruits of one's labour constantly grows bigger and bigger, but never ripens?

The very moment I finished reading this, my right arm began rumbling, my muscles tightened, and a mysterious form of energy surged through my hand till the end of my finger tips. Finally! The wait is over! This must have been what I was waiting for, the power to write! (I know that sounded like a load of crap, just bear with it)

I do agree that appreciating what you have is important, but to be satisfied by only the things you have now and not striving for greater heights is the greatest mistake men can ever make. We must strive to be better not because we are unhappy with what we possess now, but to face new challenges that brings purpose to our lives. Without purpose, there will not be meaning. It should not be something to despair but something to be joyous about. It is true that there is always going to be someone, somewhere, better than one in some way. Someday, one might say, "okay, this is it, I've attained what I've sought", but what is he going to do with his life after that? Every single effort people make, is to attain a certain goal, and every single goal, is to achieve a better life. This goes on till the very day we die.

I personally do not think that it is a bad thing to keep on trying, as long as the reason for doing it is neither for anger nor sadness, but for joy. Even if you love yourself, you would still want to better youself, for a brighter future. This is also one of the reasons why mankind had made it this far. Why seek for an end to betterment? If possible, nobody would ever want their happiness to end. The same goes to betterment. If you are enjoying every single bit of it till the day you die, why not? A kid gets first in class, he is overjoyed, but how long can it last? His answer, to get first again so that he can rejoice all over again. If instead he aims only to be average, do you expect him to be satisfied and be happy? it is possible, but what purpose would he have in life then? To be average? If you are satisfied with what you have, what will make you strive for improvement? Without improvement, how can you progress?

We humans need to dream, because without that, life would be meaningless. Along the way, we need to appreciate what we have and treasure them, but we must never stop fighting for our future.