Focusing on filling the glass

@wwaycorrigan

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Of late, I've found myself reading books — both fiction and non-fiction — that, on the whole, are probably more negative than positive. Some might say, then, literature that properly reflects reality. Those old contrarians, eh?

Is the glass half empty or half full?

You got the motion

In some ways, such reading gives me a sense of comfort. That is, no matter how mediocre or unfulfilling I may think my situation is, I can rest assured that it could always be worse.

In fact, this could be viewed as a positive attitude to have. Look on the bright side, view the "glass of fulfilment" as half full rather than half empty.

In addition, residing and socialising in a working-class neighbourhood in what is on the whole no more than a middle-income nation gives one daily examples of this things-could-be-worse scenario, financially speaking in any case.

Yet, few of us are truly happy with our lot at any given time. There's always something that we'd like to change, something that we're working on that isn't quite yet how we want it to be.

'To borrow from an Irish folk song, 'what's done is done, what's won is won and what's lost is lost and gone forever."'

This is natural and generally salutary, of course. On a planet and in a universe that are constantly in motion, nothing remains stagnant, as much as we may want it to. Situations evolve and dissolve. At times, this is beneficial for us, on other occasions, it's not.

A corollary is that life's highs are but fleeting. A somewhat comforting counterpoint is that the circumstances that create the lows soon change, even if we struggle to pick ourselves up.

Antediluvian

Thus, longing for halcyon days of yore is about as useful as overly focusing on past traumas.

Yes, such experiences define and shape us, they are part of who we are, yet regularly ruminating on them runs the risk of missing out on personal enhancement in the here and now.

To borrow from an Irish folk song, The Town I Loved So Well, 'what's done is done, what's won is won and what's lost is lost and gone forever.'

While that can be considered overly negative — particularly in terms of 'what's lost' — the positive in it is that as long as one remains a functioning being, there are things that can still be won.

So rather than perhaps being disappointed when viewing the glass as half empty, look at the scope for advancement to add to the quality — or otherwise — of what's already been poured.

For when we stop trying to fill this metaphorical glass, or if we believe it's already at a satisfactory level, we'll most likely be inundated by life's vagaries.

And when it is actually "full", that's the day we're done. The glass and the liquid left within it shall be our legacy.
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Things could always be better

When we're going through difficult or frustrating times, there is the old saying, 'Things could be worse', to make us feel a bit better.

For most, if not all people, that is the case. Things could always be worse. (OK, there may exist a person who, compared to everybody else on the planet, is faring the worst but even that individual could, in theory, find solace in the words above.)

Some people are happy with what they have, others not so ...

It's similar to those who espouse either the glass-half-full or glass-half-empty mentality. It depends on how you look at it, and in any one person, this could change from day to day without there being any noticeable change in the actual circumstances.

Yet, the argument against the glass-half-full/things-could-be-worse outlook is that, in certain cases, it promotes mediocrity, curbs development.

For example, in countries that have had a less-than-glorious past, such as my native Ireland and here in Colombia, the desire to continue to try and improve things isn't always apparent, be it at a government or individual level. 

One reason (of many), perhaps, why the oft-criticised public transport system in Bogotá splutters along as is (the Transmilenio is one thing, but many of the SITP bus routes are in disarray — let's not go there, again). There are, needless to say, other examples that we won’t get into here.

Those in the glass-half-empty brigade are often accused of being negative, pessimistic. That might be so, yet when it comes with a desire to make things better, then it can be seen as something positive.

The key, as is usually the case in such matters, is finding the balance. For sure, it's pointless to strive for what amount to unattainable goals — once we know that is the case, that is — or get worked up about things that we can't fix or undo.

It's generally better to focus on the positives of our current situation whilst, should we so wish, looking for improvement where we feel it's needed. Otherwise, we'll never even be close to feeling content, no matter what the situation.

That being said, there is a danger of underachievement if we always think 'things could be worse', especially so when in reality making our lot better doesn't require an awful amount of effort or drastic change.

It's really a quest for contentment and fulfilment; feeling satisfied doing what we at least think we should be doing.

This is what keeps us going. And for many, it's never-ending. Once one goal is 'netted', the search for another begins.
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