Self-advice

With the advent of the internet comes the proliferation of opinions about EVERY topic under the sun. It seems like everyone with fingers and a distemper is writing an article, blog, or newsletter condemning his or her chosen path. Are THAT many people unhappy with their lives? Are THAT many people regretting the time spent in preparation for their jobs?

Assuming that the qualities of human nature still hold, I'm aware that SOME of these reviews are written in attempt to dissuade potential competition from entering the field, but truly, it seems like on average people are unhappy.

A painfully obvious statement to make, or maybe I'm just looking in the wrong places. I really don't think that it is just MY two potential career paths are filled with unhappy customers, I think the whole of society promotes dissatisfaction. Think about your friend with the girlfriend, or boyfriend. Chances are, he/she has probably called you crying or upset more often than he/she has called you to tell you how in love they are. It makes sense, it's apart of a "hermit-crab theory:" people do not want to see others succeed.

If you're looking at someone moving up, you begin to realize that you are down. But, really, is this a bad thing? What if we looked at this social movement as if it we were all on an escalator. We're all moving towards the next floor, but some have gotten on before you and therefore are on another step, perhaps a few above you, perhaps next to you. Continuing the escalator analogy, if you are on a certain step, say the third step, or in the middle somewhere, it guarantees that there are others below you. You are in constant movement, you are moving regardless of whether or not someone is ahead of you.

To me, this analogy speaks to the nature of our humanity. We are jealous, critical, spiteful and hateful beings concerned primarily with the body with which we were born. We see everyone as competition and this creates a restless society based on earning things; based on human ability.

My plea to anyone is to please stop comparing yourselves to the person on the next step. He or she has gotten on before you and there is no changing that. You CAN however change YOUR position, YOUR place on the escalator. If you want to move up, do so, but do it because you truly want to see the view from that step, not because you've been tricked into thinking it's any better than where you are.

Move up, and move deeply.

Just move.