The Relentless Pursuit of the Belief That “Things Can Get Better”

What drives us forward, as human beings?

What makes us get out of bed in the morning, rather than just rolling over and going back to sleep, telling the world (at least in our minds) to go fly a kite and leave us alone?

Of course, I'm a little jaded at the moment, having just been through a rather rough week...

When I look within, what has moved me forward through this life experience has almost always been the steadfast belief that maybe today will be better.

I suppose we can wax philosophical about that and make declarations about whether or not things will ”be” better, or can choose to ”make” things better.

But even if we do "create our own reality," there are invariably boundaries and limitations.

When I lived in Texas, one of the things that always interested me — as a lover of language and words — was the many colorful expressions woven into the daily language of that part of the world.

The one that has been coming to mind recently — as I ponder the question of ”what drives us” — is that old expression of futility: ”I just feel like I am always pissing into the wind.”

Not so much with respect to specific things, as with respect to the entire experience of life.

We were talking about setback recently, and happened upon the metaphorical idea of driving in the city of San Francisco.

Aside from the fact that traffic is horrendous, the city is a warren of one-way streets and dead ends… and to help ease congestion, many turns are either limited or prohibited.

Which means that — for example — the classic workaround of ”making three rights to make a left” in very heavy traffic is no guarantee, because you easily end up down a street where you encounter a ”no turns” sign where you wanted to go, followed by a couple of one-way streets in the direction away from your intended goal.

Life, sometimes, feels a lot like that. No matter how focused you might be on getting to a specific place, obstacle after obstacle after obstacle keeps getting in your way… and instead of closing in, you’re getting further and further away.

I once had a very long conversation with a spiritual teacher about the whole issue of personal evolution towards some form of ”enlightenment” and inner peace… and the role luck and fortune sometimes plays in our lives.

We tend to beat ourselves up for situations we have observed other people handle with great skill and aplomb, while we struggle, not realizing that they actually got where they got to not so much by being great but by having a stroke of luck at precisely the right moment.

It made me think back to business school at University, and how it is a fact that no matter how much they teach people how to succeed, Academia tends to very quietly step around the ”luck factor” in business… because luck is neither teachable nor reproducible.

However, it is almost inevitable.

I once missed a very important business meeting that had the potential to change the entire outcome of my life... for no reason other than a very large articulated lorry having jackknifed on the main road I was on, delaying everyone about an hour. This was before mobile phones... so it was just a missed opportunity.

After that incident, I very much had to draw on my belief that "things WILL get better!"

Of course, the root feeling behind such belief is HOPE, one of the very most important of Human emotions. As long as wee have hope, we tend to be able to keep moving forward.

These days, it is hope that keeps me working on my artwork, and it is hope that keeps me writing, and it is hope that keeps me invested in the Cryptosphere.

Lately it has been difficult to find that spark... but it's still there!

Thanks for visiting, and have a great week ahead!

How about you? What inspires you to keep going? Is it hope for the future? Or the success of previous endeavors? Leave a comment if you feel so inclined — share your experiences — be part of the conversation!

(All text and images by the author, unless otherwise credited. This is ORIGINAL CONTENT, created expressly for this platform — Not posted elsewhere!)

Created at 2024.06.03 12:55 PDT
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