Kurt Vonnegut and Joseph Heller, were at a party hosted by a billionaire.
During the event, Vonnegut remarked to Heller that their billionaire host might have made more money in a single day than Heller had earned from his popular novel “Catch-22” over its whole history.
Heller’s response: “Yes, but I have something he will never have: enough.”
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I’ve seen the above story in multiple blogs and newsletters, to encourage readers to be more content, peaceful and happy.
But I’ve felt uneasy every time I came across it.
Is it not possible to be peaceful without being content?
How can we keep growing, if we’re content?
And, isn’t constant growth a necessity to be truly happy?
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Let me illustrate this with an example.
Have you tried ChatGPT 4? I upgraded about 8+ months ago.
Rarely have I come across a product, which after many months of usage, continues to pleasantly surprise me with its performance.
GPT 4 is one of them.
The way it writes code. The way it analyses images. It’s reasoning capabilities. Stunning.
(And also the way it analyses and edits copy. Yes, I’m using it to make this post better. 🙂 )
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How do they make such a remarkable product?
Certainly not by being contented with what they’ve already done.
Let’s hear Sam Altman’s take on this. Sam is the CEO of OpenAI, the company behind GPT 4.
“There was a 2-week freakout when GPT 4 came out. Now it’s like..’why is it so slow?‘”
I think that’s a delightful example of being Happily Dissatisfied.
You can clearly see how enthused he is about the product. He clearly knows GPT 4 is already remarkable. But he’s nowhere near done making it better.
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This is not just about more impactful work though.
It can also be about better health. More wealth. Stronger relationships. More blissful moments. Deeper faith.
In fact, it can be all of the above and even more things.
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But back to the original question: Isn’t contentment necessary for us to be peaceful?
No.
Mahatria explains this beautifully.
Be grateful for your past.
But, be ambitious about your future.
That’s the simple formula for putting life into our years. Instead of simply adding years to our life.
As human beings, we have this unique ability to introspect, grow and create a positive impact.
It’s a priceless gift. Let’s use it.