I always looked at the bright side in most part of my young life. And I think it was a big mistake on my part. It might be the cause of why I always got ignored and left out on many opportunities I could have gotten in the past. I didn't act. I didn't look into the issues. I didn't do a review of what got wrong. If I did, I might have found the solutions earlier on.
We always hear people telling us to be "positive". That we have to learn to be contented. I agree and I say those things too. But there must be a limit out there. I don't know where it is but there should be a ceiling of contentment and positivity.
Inventors, innovators, thinkers and philosophers are positive people in general. But their positivity all came out from the negatives they encounter as an opportunity to bring out a new and better stuff. They produced greater things and ideas out of not being contented on their current situations. Da Vinci, Einstein, Pascal, Edison, Aquinas, Jobs, Descartes, Newton, Ford, Tzu, etc. If these people learned to just be contented and positive with their lives, we might still be living in the caves right now, hunting for our dinner tonight while greeting our mom happy birthday thru smoke signals. I'm exaggerating but you get the idea.
Right now, i'm trying to identify the problems around me. I hope I can see something to fix or to improve. But right now, I feel very contented about almost everything. And I'm afraid. Please, help me.
Maybe it's still ok to be content. Contentment doesn't always equate lack of innovation or creativity. Example: If you're content with your current financial situation, you stop getting obsessed with making more money. Which means you have more time to do/ create something with the things you're passionate about (which might also result in making even more money doing what you love)
ReplyDeleteI believe that the people you listed produced great things because they're not contented. I think they produced great output because they're passionate about something. Be it learning, cars, the cosmos, or helping other people. I think contentment does not equate "not doing", lack of passion does.
Thanks Rae. I agree with you that it's ok to be contented. I didn't say that contentment is a bad thing either. Just saying that discontent is not always bad since it also drives people to improve.
DeleteAnd yes, passion made it for most of the successful people. That's right. But then passion was not discussed on this post since this does not mean to cover everything which can bring success to people. I'm merely pondering about contentment and positive thinking. But since you brought it up, I agree that passion is necessary. But what triggers passion? Discontent could be one thing. Or maybe not. For sure there are also others. And it might be on another post of mine. Or maybe not.
Yep, it wasn't covered. And discontent might have triggered discovery of something one can be passionate about. It's just that when I see or read about musicians, painters, scientists, etc. -- it seems like they were more driven to do what they do because they love it. Like those kid geniuses, they continue doing what they're doing because for some unexplainable reason, they find satisfaction in doing it. Kinda like they're driven by love or the reward of fulfillment rather than discontent.
DeleteAnyway, I'm getting too carried away. Be that as it may, I see you as a passionate person and I hope you don't consider seeing the bright side as a big mistake. :)
It's okay Rae. I think you are also just being passionate in a way that you don't want these great people to be capsulized in an idea that seemed negative like what I did here. But again, I don't see discontentment as negative in general.:)
DeletePassion, discontent, or others, I'm sure that it's never just one thing that did it for most of them. But I believe that most passionate people think rewards as the least of their driving force. :)
for me, iba naman yung contented na tao at passive lang sa sitwasyon. contento ka kung nagawa mo na lahat pero yun lang talaga dumating na swerte. passive ka kung alam mo meron kapang magagawa sana pero di ka lang nag effort ;-) just sayin
ReplyDeleteThanks Phioxee. :)
DeleteNaalala ko yung isang question ko before kung ano ang nagbibigay ng mabigat na drive love or anger. madalas love pero marami rin ang nagsabing anger. I think when all things are sweet siempre you want to enjoy it until ma-feel mo na nawawala na yung tamis or may napapasamang alat.
ReplyDeletein general kasi hindi gagalaw ang isang tao pag hindi nya kailangan o hindi siya naiipit. pero mabuti ang maging kontento sa buhay.
Tama madam, maganda talagang makontento rin. agree ako dyan. wag lang mastuck. hehehe. Salamat po.
Delete"Stay positive" at kung anu-ano pang one-liner na slogan ay mga walang-kwenta. You can't answer everything with one simple slogan. As for me I don't believe in this. I for one benefited well in being negative. I think of the worse things then prepare to combat them. If I stayed positive eh baka nagpabaya ako.
ReplyDeleteThere is a contradiction in Christianity when it comes to contenment. We are called to be contented to what we have (the blessings of our Lord) but we should not be contented but we have to strive more when it comes to growing our Faith. Sa unang tingin ay malabo ang turo na ito but as Chesterton said, Christianity is good in its balancing act.
Wow, salamat sa sharing na yan Ish. Ang galing talaga ni Chesterton. At lalong magaling ang Christianity. :)
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