The elusive contentment

Everyone relishes the feeling of blissful contentment oregon satiety that follows a hearty meal. Yet, arguably, idiosyncratic contentment is an property that often eludes america successful different spheres of life.

Living arsenic we bash successful a materialistic satellite wherever one’s societal lasting often hinges connected one’s fiscal resources, fewer are ever contented with what they have. We perpetually hanker to beryllium connected adjacent terms, socially and financially, with our neighbours and peers. Any disparity is unacceptable to our egos. No substance however overmuch we person successful presumption of worldly comforts, we hunger for more, enviously eyeing what the well-heeled have. Apparently, it’s an inherent quality craving that cannot beryllium easy curbed owed to our innate materialism. Indeed, arsenic a wit enactment it, galore talk the information erstwhile they accidental that they despise riches, but they usually mean the riches of others.

Inequality and envy often substance discontent and prolong it. We thin to comparison what we person with what others person and past strive to span the gap. When we don’t succeed, discontentment inevitably follows. As such, fewer are ever contented with their lot, the objection possibly being the mediocre who, successful immoderate case, person small oregon nary prime successful the matter.

True, one’s contentment levels fluctuate successful nonstop proportionality to what 1 has (or doesn’t have) successful narration to one’s peers. Thus, thing creates much idiosyncratic discontent than our eagerness to support societal parity with (or superiority over) our peers. Trying to support up with the Joneses socially and successful different respects is champion avoided; for erstwhile 1 thinks 1 has yet caught up with them, they usually thin to emergence a notch oregon 2 higher. This often sees our levels of discontent spiral retired of control.

Contentment, of course, springs from a consciousness of idiosyncratic restitution oregon well-being. One tin hardly beryllium expected to purr with contentment similar a well-fed feline lazing earlier a sitting-room occurrence erstwhile one’s neighbours oregon peers are mode up of 1 arsenic acold arsenic worldly comforts are concerned! Yet, 1 needs to beryllium realistic and judge one’s batch portion astatine the aforesaid clip moving steadfastly towards improving it alternatively than lamenting it.

The canker of envy and jealousy (compounded by discontent) tin corrode the precise cloth of life, if near unchecked, and vitiate one’s relationships. On the different hand, curbing one’s rising levels of discontent volition spell a agelong mode successful improving the prime of one’s life. Indeed, viewed dispassionately, it is our craving to beryllium connected an adjacent – if not higher – footing than our peers and contemporaries that is often the bane of our lives, arsenic we thin to acceptable our sights excessively precocious socially.

Thus, idiosyncratic contentment is often a casualty successful one’s life, usually reflecting one’s dissatisfaction with one’s lot. Self-righteously preaching contentment is, of course, casual but practising it is not, for it’s a will-o’-the-wisp that tends to elude 1 clip and again. Maybe we request to onslaught a realistic equilibrium betwixt our prime of luxuries and necessities and curb the nagging impulse to support up with others. Above all, possibly we request to instrumentality a hard relook astatine our halfway values and priorities.

gnettomunnar@rediffmail.com