The Grass is Always Greener...
"The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence".
We've all heard this expression, and have probably used it a few times as well. It's something that you say which means that other people always seem to be in a better situation than you, although in reality they may not be. I've sometimes been told this in a somewhat patronizing manner - which was meant as "I'm never satisfied with my own situation."
I was thinking about this idiom while driving into work today. I saw a horse eating grass. It looked green and delicious, if grass were something I ate, I would have picked that grass. I started thinking about the common phrase and wondered if it was always bad to think that the "grass is greener" somewhere other than where you are.
For example, what about motivation? Isn't this the same kind of thinking that motivates people to do almost everything they do? Go to school and get a degree. You will find a better job that way. Get a better job - the pay will be better. If you're lonely, find a fulfilling relationship and you'll probably be happier. Now, I realize that there are trade offs for all of these. If you go to school, you'll most likely be paying student loans for the rest of your life. Getting a better job may come with more pressure and stress along with a higher salary. Relationships are amazing, but we all know that they have their occasional emotional downsides as well.
But in reality, if we weren't wired with this need to do "better" than what we are, where would we be as a race? Would we have people pushing themselves to athletic excellence? Would we have authors writing books that change the way we think? Would there be scientists struggling to figure out the cure for diseases, and how to get humans on Mars? Much of what makes this world "extraordinary" might not exist if people did not think "the world would be better if we could only do this..."
So, I challenge the notion of complacency that this idiom often leaves me with. It is all too easy to just let opportunities in life pass you by. It is important to be content with what you have, but there is nothing wrong with wanting more out of life. These are just my thoughts.
We've all heard this expression, and have probably used it a few times as well. It's something that you say which means that other people always seem to be in a better situation than you, although in reality they may not be. I've sometimes been told this in a somewhat patronizing manner - which was meant as "I'm never satisfied with my own situation."
I was thinking about this idiom while driving into work today. I saw a horse eating grass. It looked green and delicious, if grass were something I ate, I would have picked that grass. I started thinking about the common phrase and wondered if it was always bad to think that the "grass is greener" somewhere other than where you are.
For example, what about motivation? Isn't this the same kind of thinking that motivates people to do almost everything they do? Go to school and get a degree. You will find a better job that way. Get a better job - the pay will be better. If you're lonely, find a fulfilling relationship and you'll probably be happier. Now, I realize that there are trade offs for all of these. If you go to school, you'll most likely be paying student loans for the rest of your life. Getting a better job may come with more pressure and stress along with a higher salary. Relationships are amazing, but we all know that they have their occasional emotional downsides as well.
But in reality, if we weren't wired with this need to do "better" than what we are, where would we be as a race? Would we have people pushing themselves to athletic excellence? Would we have authors writing books that change the way we think? Would there be scientists struggling to figure out the cure for diseases, and how to get humans on Mars? Much of what makes this world "extraordinary" might not exist if people did not think "the world would be better if we could only do this..."
So, I challenge the notion of complacency that this idiom often leaves me with. It is all too easy to just let opportunities in life pass you by. It is important to be content with what you have, but there is nothing wrong with wanting more out of life. These are just my thoughts.
Labels: complacency, grass is greener
posted by Greta at 11:35 AM
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