The key blessing and curse of the human condition is this tendency to reset to a new normal and want more. Low-income people cannot understand why a billionaire would work to become a trillionaire. But the desire for more is ubiquitous. I was on cloud nine when my boss called me into his office and promoted me to Vice President at age 26, That lasted about six months and I was back into the competitive slog to earn more responsibility, title and pay.
The desire for more is why we explore and invent and progress. However, it is also why we have wars and terrible behavior based on greed for power and money.
People look at Scheffler and think "wow, he is so accomplished that his life fulfillment tank should be constantly overflowing!" But then there is that Hedonic Treadmill thing where he has to reset forgetting about that last win to focus on the next round. He has to be constantly hungry to win to perform at the top level. And the public expectation for his performance keeps rising with his success.
This is a similar situation for well-off people. The less well-off people project some level of individual bliss because they would have that for a while if they were sudden winners of the lottery. But life is life and the trials and tribulations of life tend to exceed the money in the bank account. Yes, having less money or not enough money sucks and can be the consuming desire for more. However, the actual pursuit we are all striving for is self-actualization... life meaning, purpose, relationships, love, etc. Those low rung needs are generally taken care of even if on government assistance. Not for the homeless, but for most everyone else.
Live your life so deeply that even if you never get to your ultimate goal because you get hit by a bus tomorrow, you’d be able to LOOK DOWN FROM HEAVEN and say, “There was more to do, but wow, I had a good run!”
Agree with all except #1. I know lot of kids born to rich families that ended up miserable because they lacked the perspective for what it takes to earn their own good life. I think more important than being rich, is to be blessed with academic gifts.
The key blessing and curse of the human condition is this tendency to reset to a new normal and want more. Low-income people cannot understand why a billionaire would work to become a trillionaire. But the desire for more is ubiquitous. I was on cloud nine when my boss called me into his office and promoted me to Vice President at age 26, That lasted about six months and I was back into the competitive slog to earn more responsibility, title and pay.
The desire for more is why we explore and invent and progress. However, it is also why we have wars and terrible behavior based on greed for power and money.
People look at Scheffler and think "wow, he is so accomplished that his life fulfillment tank should be constantly overflowing!" But then there is that Hedonic Treadmill thing where he has to reset forgetting about that last win to focus on the next round. He has to be constantly hungry to win to perform at the top level. And the public expectation for his performance keeps rising with his success.
This is a similar situation for well-off people. The less well-off people project some level of individual bliss because they would have that for a while if they were sudden winners of the lottery. But life is life and the trials and tribulations of life tend to exceed the money in the bank account. Yes, having less money or not enough money sucks and can be the consuming desire for more. However, the actual pursuit we are all striving for is self-actualization... life meaning, purpose, relationships, love, etc. Those low rung needs are generally taken care of even if on government assistance. Not for the homeless, but for most everyone else.
Live your life so deeply that even if you never get to your ultimate goal because you get hit by a bus tomorrow, you’d be able to LOOK DOWN FROM HEAVEN and say, “There was more to do, but wow, I had a good run!”
...OR, WHY NOT "LOOK UP FROM HELL"?!
The formula for living a fully human life is ths:
1 - Be born rich.
2 - Figure out what you want to do with your life by the time you're 10.
3 - Make your peace with God.
4 - Live as if the CONCEPT of consequences doesn't apply to you.
Agree with all except #1. I know lot of kids born to rich families that ended up miserable because they lacked the perspective for what it takes to earn their own good life. I think more important than being rich, is to be blessed with academic gifts.
Doesn't hurt, though!