It Gets Easier
Pretty much everything that we can practice, gets easier as we improve - yet it is only relative, isn't it? After all, we are improving on a current position so comparatively what we were able to do before is easier, but because we have improved, the road ahead gets a little harder, because in order to improve again, we have to up the challenge. Things really only get easier when we have decided that we are satisfied with a certain level of result, meaning that while we might still improve, the only thing that changes is the speed at which we reach satisfactory.
Are you satisfied?
It seems a silly question perhaps, but I am yet to meet someone who is so satisfied with their lives, that they wouldn't change anything at all, even if for the most part, things are very good. There is always something that they want to improve and it is that which sticks out, like a thorn in the side of life. Happy or not, no one seems satisfied completely.
It is part of human experience it seems and as I see it, it is what keeps us evolving ourselves in a cycle of creation, where we develop something to solve a problem, but once the problem is solved, we move to the next problem, or the newly created problems from our solutions. For instance, it might be comfortable to think that "returning to the past" would improve the condition of our environment, but this doesn't take into consideration the condition of human, where we are evolved to change our conditions. Yes, we can improve how we do this, but this is a forward movement, not a backward one.
And this is the challenge, because we are continually advancing, we are also adding increasing complication. Life was far simpler earlier and the further back we go, the simpler it was - all the way back to single-cell organisms. Our potential building blocks are increasing and therefore the creations fractal, combining in new ways, which exponentially increases the range. We can simplify, but even the simplification process will lead to releasing resources that can be used to complicate further.
It doesn't get easier.
However, we are also able to increase our skill levels continuously, meaning that while life is getting more complicated, as long as we are upping our game, we are able to cope. The challenge is, that the range is also expanding, so we are unable to learn all that we need, which is why we are also increasingly specializing as individuals and becoming more reliant on others to share their specializations with us - for a cost.
The simpler we keep our lives, the cheaper it is, because we are able to service more of our needs ourselves and when we do need support, we need it in areas that aren't as specialized, meaning there is more competition to provide service, lowering the costs. Overcomplication raises costs, because more people and more specializations are required to service and often, the "parts" are more expensive than the value of the whole.
Just imagine the cost of a car built entirely from aftermarket spare parts costs - and the cost of work involved, once it is no longer part of the production line. How many specializations are required?
So, saving money doesn't just come from buying cheaper products, it is also about going without, which is essentially simplifying the personal consumer landscape, which reduces the chances of things going wrong and, the cost of specialized repair or replacement. It also means that more can be self-learned, because the knowledge and skill models needed are also reduced.
This isn't convenient.
No. It isn't convenient. Complication is convenient because it gives us a tool for every purpose, but it also means that we become beholden to the tools and the maintenance, service and problems they will face. It is far more convenient for example to have a mobile phone, but when we had hardwired phones, how much time did we spend keeping them up to date and how often did they breakdown? How much time did we spend using them, and what did we do with all the extra time we had?
So much of our lives today are dictated by running errands to maintain the level of complication we have onboarded out of convenience. The problem is, that we only focus on the immediate return of what we buy, not the ongoing cost of having it. We end up with a lot of convenient items that breakdown and need replacing or, just don't get used much, or at all. They sounded good at the time, but once the initial novelty was gone, they were discarded.
We are creatures of comfort and convenience is a form of luxury. But, it likely has an inflated cost, especially when the time we are saving is not used well either. That means we are paying for the convenient solution and its maintenance, and also paying in not taking opportunities that are presented. If we aren't going to use our saved time or resources well, we may as well have kept doing what we were doing, even if it is inconvenient to do so. At least then, we would save the money and, possibly improve our skillset, or look to create our own innovative solution.
And that is one of the funny things about creations of convenience, because the more we use them, the less creative we become, because we are facing increasingly niche problems that we can't solve ourselves, they take a specialist. So, if we want a solution to more problems, even though it is not going to make much of an impact on our lives, it is going to take a specialist and due to the niche, it is going to be expensive.
Life is getting harder - because we are overcomplicating our needs for living. If we want to improve our immediate wellbeing and have more time and resources available, we should be looking at ways to simplify our lives, rather than adding solutions that complicate our toolkit. We might have to work more in some areas, but we will have a lot less to pay for in others.
Taraz
[ Gen1: Hive ]
Posted Using LeoFinance Alpha
It seems a lot like golf. You start out, are not very good at it but are playing so why not have fun? Then you get a little better, start enjoying the odd good shot, set your mind to improving, maybe take a lesson and up your technology to improve overall. Then, you get good enough that the bad shots are infuriating. The game becomes what is expected and is littered with frustration at not getting it right all the time, then the enjoyment can wane.
I think happiness in a state of incompleteness is one of the keys to a happy life. Sure I am always going to want to improve. To do more for my family and others. To use the skills I have developed to make more progress. With a little skill I will not make it too complicated but those odd good shots and moments in which to live will be the happiness along the journey.
Playing against ourselves - getting in our own way too. It is very much like golf (though I don't play). Great analogy.
It is the Japanese "Wabi Sabi" - nothing lasts - nothing is finished. Everything can be improved upon.
I mean, yeah it's all a curve.
However, I have noticed another effect of "it only gets harder."
Academically, I have some huge aspirations. School/work/life is absolutely brutal and I sacrifice more than many would be willing to in order to set myself up for the best chance of success while I'm in pursuit of these crazy ambitions.
I noticed that initially, everyone was on board. "That's awesome man. Yeah you should totally do that." The closer I get though, the more people that are converted into the devil's advocate. Almost as if they're trying to entice me to quit. It's pretty wild. Lucky for me, I'm stubborn so external pressure doesn't have quite the same influence.
Really interesting: What do you think has caused the change of attitude in the people around you?
No idea. I don't take it as a jealousy thing, but it's hard telling.
Are they educated themselves?
I know that in Finland, people want foreigners like me to work, earn and pay their way. Friends are supportive verbally, until a foreigner is earning more than them.
Some are, some are not.
I feel like sometimes I get excited about the things I'm doing or learning and want to talk about it all. Some take it as bragging or a superiority thing I'm sure, even though I try to avoid that at all costs.
I wonder if it makes some people feel little, because they are forced to compare themselves to you or something.
Yeah it's weird. It's like branches diverging on a tree. Also though, to be fair, it could be that I have virtually no social life and the old bonds aren't as strong.
Well, I'm not much to compare to.
I occasionally think about my past and the things I would change. Then I also think about the things I currently have that I would miss. I don't think you can put a price on some of that. I definitely have some things I would like to improve currently, but massive change would just be too disruptive. I'm pretty content for the most part.
This is true, but if you could change the past, would you know what you are missing from the now? What if, once upon a time, you did change the past and you are missing a lot, or have a lot more because of it? :D
Yep. That sense of continual progress that is felt would be nice.
I have to agree that we make it over-complicate and the issue is that we attach few things to one another. And those things happen in a series of events. And that ends up making things a bit more difficult and that leads to some of the really hard things that leads to more or less issues too. I don't think everyone can get life in one go and it requires some iteration to know things.
Continual iteration - continual improvement to reach potential. Even if we are at "full potential" (impossible) now, tomorrow we can be better.
I agree with you that life was so easier and simple earlier, but now we make it more complicated.
I think it's not a silly question, I also don't see a person who is fully satisfied from his life, if they get something than they want to get something other 😶
It was less complicated and simpler before, but did we see it as better when we were there living it?
Yes, i think we see it better when we were living in it because than we were liked that lifestyle of living
On the other hand, life is getting harder and harder. An unexpected event such as health problem fucks up all.
Health is a killer.... I wonder what it would be like to feel "perfect health" for a year.
Everybody have to pass from ups and downs. Its a part of life. No one seems to be happy among us. Everyone have some wishes they wants to get true but if we compromise to the things that are available to us, its easier to make life beautiful.
Resilience is a skill that we don't practice enough. It isn't about putting up with, it is about being able to work through.
I've been feeling that life is getting harder as well lately. I realized that everone is trying to live the "american dream" for lack of a better phrase. The perceived standard of happiness is from looking at standards that are portrayed in mass media and social media that are misleading.
In my hometown families had a car and a scooter that would be used for family outings and going to the veg. Market accordungly. All of sudden I started seeing bentleys and jaguars . At first I thought that people are getting richer. Its not that. The money was always there. Its just that globalization and mass media changed consumption.
Everything is advancing at a pace that the human brain can't comprehend or keep up with it all at once. You almost need to dumb yourself down in some areas of life to excel in others.
I liked the after-market car bit, it would be cheaper but how long would it take you time and knowledge-wise to learn how to build the car? What time would you have wasted that you could have learned something else that could have made you more money than you saved?
Everything is relative when put in perspective, you have to pick a path and focus. Too many fingers in the pie leave you with an unedible pie. Too many fingers in too many pies will just leave you covered in pie.
Missed reading your work @tarazkp
Well, I feel that no matter how rich you are, you can never get satisfied. An hungry person is a successful being. I'm talking about someone who is wanting to improve more everyday. It means that such a person is hungry for improvement and that is the kind of person that I am...
On the other hand, I am satisfied because I can afford the little things that I need
Hmmm this is deep. We can get better if we are willing to put in the work and focus on what matters. Time is also a valuable resource that will help us get better. Thank you for sharing.
And that’s the beauty of life. You can’t figure it all out or survive individually. Short cuts to lessen expenses become more expensive. However we keep going and learning how to cope with complex situations and things.