Should We Be Led by Discontentment Forever?

Whether it's attaining inner peace on a spiritual level, building a better mouse trap, or trying to squeeze more mileage out of a gallon/litre of gasoline...........the short answer is, yes, we will forever be led by discontent.

Discontent with the things around us should share the stage with necessity as the mother of all invention.

Our complexing status of life styles and high tech standards shall squeege us more to sustain the demand. A reality we can not escape.

I'm running in the opposite direction......getting more content with less junk.

This is a bit simplistic, but (I think) it is generally true to say: Species stop evolving when they are content with the status-quo.

You point iseems sensible.

Species other than humans even though are territorial, keep sniffing for needs constantly or migrate to potential new sites mostly on basic needs.

The human specie ever since it's evolution, is always on the march to better life standards, wealth and security, attempting even beyond the planet.

Our DNA is structured with this capability.

Even though the struggle is stessful, we have become even immune to stress and develop stamina to go ahead.

No doubt this perseverance had paid humanity its fruits, excepting for negative consequences on consumerism, environmental impacts and threats for future sustainability.

Depends on how you define discontent.

Are we making progress because we are unhappy and unsatisfied with things or just a restless desire to improve things around us. Each of us needs to answer that for themselves. I like to think it's the latter in my case. A lot out there that works well but can always be made better with out being unhappy with them, dissatisfied yes.

Poor choice of words in what motivates progress. The negative connotation of the word leaves mush to be desired in it's use to describe motivation.

Journey to perfection never ends.

The self placed carrot befor the donkey and that is how most of us keep going.

Discontentment can inspire in us two reactions.

Positive reaction: Continuous improvement and work toward progress.

Negative reaction: Anger, hostility, and actions to eliminate those things that bother us.

While sometimes negative reactions are appropriate, it is a wise person who is deliberate and intentional in dealing with their discontentment to best "create the change that they wish to see in the world."

Milo "great post!"

A positive mind, responsibility and good motives. Education and personality building should take care of thses mental stands. Heaven should not be far, if it is manifested in majorities.

I think this also ties in with Chris' Curiosity thread. Some progress is driven by discontent but much arrives as the residue of curiosity and some are serendipitous. Alexander Fleming was an untidy man studying staphylococcus because he was discontented about our inability to control it, he stacked his cultures and went on vacation. On return he noticed that a fungus had grown in one sample but the staph hadn't! a serendipitous discovery, curiosity took over and a pharmaceutical industry was born.

For Scientists, researchers[with true goals],leaders and policy makers,Professionals, Doctors, Engineers and technologists,surely extra dosage of patience and discontent should be an added advantage, since intrepretations, conclusions and decision making are laid up or taken up responsibilites.

Certainly a good philosophical question.

I fairly often long for the "good old days", when things were simpler, and seemed just fine the way they were. Unfortunately, cultures which fail to evolve become less competitive (as has happened to the US versus other cultures). It has long been impossible for US corporations to compete without off-shoring some, much, or all production in many industries.

I think in order to evolve competitively, we must be discontented with the status quo -- if we are not, someone else most certainly will be, and that will lead them to out-compete us (whomever us is). Cultures must evolve just as species do.

Barbara Ehrenreich wrote a good book: Bright Sided: How Positive Thinking has Undermined America.

I enjoy the design process, coming up with new things. Much of that process is fun and gratifying. But I also get nostalgic: 40 hour work weeks. One wage earner. A stay-at-home parent. Free and abundant water. Resource depletion far off in the distance, beyond the horizon. The thrill of putting a man on the moon.

Suppose all cultures said OK, things are just fine the way they are. Let's relax and enjoy life. Let's share. Let's live in peace. There would be no need for war.

Maybe.

When we see the good olden days, today's life standards[leaving aside the high costs and affordability] the current capability to reach any thing like- Cure to deceases, communications, education, global interactions-had been missing in past generations.

The main draw back of humanity on grounds of mean selfish and greedy consumption habit seems to be a major negativity in realization of peace , health and collecting good will. As on date, Darwin's 'Survival of the Fittest' theory seems to working in most cases.

Discontent shall solve this state also. Good Eras comes back in a cycle, and let us hope for the best

very thoughtful post. well written. ga.

but I question 'impossible'.

there is an array of options for every company in the marketplace, as to how they reduce costs, generate profits. The array or spectrum of choices is wide, and there is a dark end to the spectrum, in terms of ultimate cost to humanity and sustainability.

There are companies that view their role in a country as simply to serve up profits to their shareholders, and any method will do. There are also those companies who view their role as creating wealth, not only for shareholders, but also for workers. This is equating employment as equal with profit.

When you factor in job creation and sustainability within the local community, you can reason that each such company is infrastructure to the economic health of a community. The profiteering mindset then is unbalanced, narrow minded thinking, and of course it has led to a general decline. The meme of profiteering on the backs of the underpriveleged is not new. (how far back does slavery go?) I'm just saying that 'just for profits' is not a sufficient raison d'etre for a running a company.

It shows that 'advanced' nations are still susceptible to archaic thinking. You have to ask whether democracy and liberty connect more with profit, or with sustainability?

Chris

imho, the purpose of our existence here on earth is to suffer... in order to realize the perfection of heaven.

... and we keep coming back, because the lesson is eternally needed...

Eternity in space or into the black hole, discontent shall push up our space crafts further. SpaceTravel means and space harvesting should solve this.

There are many occassions when people are content with a particular situation. That is, until things change. And people react to that change in various ways.

One of the factors which cause discontent is the means we have to satisfy ourselves such as money and time. Hell, we ainy got enough cash to buy the flashiest car or the fastest computer, but we just got enough to buy something not too far removed. So while there is a difference between what we want and what we can afford or have time for, I suppose there could always be something missing, especially if our neighbour or friend has managed to purchase something better.

Having said that, you do come across the odd person who is driving a 20 year old car or using a 10 year old computer and who has the means to upgrade confortably but chooses not to because it doesn't sit high on the importance list. As long as the car runs fine and the laptop lets me play my solitaire.

Humans will never stop wanting someting new and different.

Thanks to all CR4 member colleagues for joining the discussion.

The conclusion confirms the fact- What is accomplished upto today is appreciable, but stay alert and be discontented to face future mitigations, that is why we are humans, the ever green caution for successive generations towards the undefined life journey.

keep going in the progressive journey for better future, it is a blessning, don't treat it as a curse