the grass is always greener

"The unlucky are nothing more than a frame of reference for the lucky. You are unlucky, so I may know that I am. Unfortunately the lucky never realizes they are lucky until it's too late. Take yourself for instance; yesterday you were better off than you are off today but it took today for you to realize it. But today has arrived and it's too late. You see? People are never happy with what they have. They want what they had, or what others have. The grass is always greener on the other side"--ben kingsley

thoughts?

I don't like blind optimism for it's crude fantasies of which is never fulfilled.

so thinking that the grass is greener on the other side is blind optimism. even so, everyone seems to do this. I'm curious as to what the source is of this blind optimism.

I don't think it comes from blind optimism at all. On the contrary, I'd say that optimists are more capable of seeing what is green or could be greener on their own side of the fence, before starting to envy others. They rarely look back into the past and think that the grass was greener then, as well. Optimism is directed towards the future.

I think it's certainly blindness, but blindness to what one is and has. If I started envying what my neighbour possessed or was, it would be because I had difficulties seeing what was good in my own life,at the present moment. And if I started regretting the past, it would be because I'd forgotten that that past wasn't entirely rosy itself.

What the quote seems to boil down to is the eternal "Know thyself"...

Optimism is always the key for a better future
it makes us work hard, have hope.. plan 4 tomorrow
and always look at the GREENER side of the grass
look at the bright side of our lives, forget about what happened
forget about the raining season for the spring is ahead.

I believe the "People" ben kingsley is talking about in this quote are the weak-minded pessimists that are subject to not liking anything in their own lives, so they look to others with envy.

There are many mind-sets that people have which contradict his statement, such as myself. I am donating 70% of the money i own, selling all of my worldly possessions and then going to hike the entire length of the great wall of china in around 6 months time, alone. Im doing it, because i can. And such is my life.

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Originally Posted by Bitterfly

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I think it's certainly blindness, but blindness to what one is and has. If I started envying what my neighbour possessed or was, it would be because I had difficulties seeing what was good in my own life,at the present moment...

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and i think that this difficulty in seeing what is good in ones own life is precisely a lack of presence, that is, inability to experience the present moment--reality. what's troubling then is that IF most people are stuck in the grass is always greener mentality, we have a majority that are living in the opposite of reality.

so whats the root of this inability to live in the present? Is it linguistic? philosophic? religious? physiological?

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Originally Posted by TheInsomniac

I believe the "People" ben kingsley is talking about in this quote are the weak-minded pessimists that are subject to not liking anything in their own lives, so they look to others with envy.

There are many mind-sets that people have which contradict his statement, such as myself. I am donating 70% of the money i own, selling all of my worldly possessions and then going to hike the entire length of the great wall of china in around 6 months time, alone. Im doing it, because i can. And such is my life.

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nice. hiking china solo? that takes stones. this would, however, beg the question: is the grass greener in china?

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Originally Posted by billyjack

nice. hiking china solo? that takes stones. this would, however, beg the question: is the grass greener in china?

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Well.. to be honest i will like it better than australia, and i will be writing a book when im over there on my ventures. I will be camping, and going through alot of physical pain everyday. Mentally it will be greener, but physically, it will be alot harder style of living than in in my comfy bedroom...

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Originally Posted by TheInsomniac

Well.. to be honest i will like it better than australia, and i will be writing a book when im over there on my ventures. I will be camping, and going through alot of physical pain everyday. Mentally it will be greener, but physically, it will be alot harder style of living than in in my comfy bedroom...

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you probably know this already: pack light and watch a bunch of man vs wild

Haha... thanks for the advice. I have actually been watching a bunch of documentaries on giant spiders in the desert across one part of the wall :S, should make for an interesting few days.

heres my own philosohpy as to i am original an optimist is like a crying kid only the optimist quickly stops crying and has forgotten what he was crying about

-LilBoom

The grass is always greener in the other side? Only if you have an insatiable hunger for materialism. You will always be green with envy that the person next to you possesses something finer or better.
The grass is not always greener in the other side if you value what you already have and thankful that you have it. This can link with happiness.
Happiness is wanting something that you already have.

Now in this age of globalization we are outsourcing happiness. We do not find happiness within us, or we are blind to see within us.

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Originally Posted by blazeofglory

Now in this age of globalization we are outsourcing happiness. We do not find happiness within us, or we are blind to see within us.

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I agree that happiness is becoming endangered as our self-centered and selfish natures are becoming more common in our world.
However even in one short spurt period of time, if we discover a small inner satisfaction, then we may find happiness for that short period.