If we had a complete grip on reality (Goldsmith)
May 15th, 2008 | Published in Psychology, Life, Quotes | 6 Comments
This is why I’m glad about our limitations, as frustrating as ignorance can sometimes be.
If we had a complete grip on reality, seeing every situation for exactly what it is, we wouldn’t get out of bed in the morning. After all, the most realistic people in our society are the chronically depressed.
—Marshall Goldsmith, What Got You Here Won’t Get You There (2007), p. 17.
May 15th, 2008 at 10:08 am (#)
This is jarringly close to the philosophy I unfortunately live by:
If you’re happy, healthy, and self-confident; go back and check again.
May 15th, 2008 at 8:51 pm (#)
I’m bipolar. There, I said it. Much in the world makes me depressed, but mostly my own brain does. However, I think there are a number of things to be extremely happy and grateful for (fatherhood being up there). I think that this quote is a gross generalization made by an unstable person (and as a bipolar individual, I reserve the right to judge stability ;-)
May 16th, 2008 at 9:36 am (#)
Or perhaps those of us who always see the imperfections are best equipped to correct them. Nobody is saying great and wonderful things (such as fatherhood) don’t exist.
But hey, I think life on Earth is all pretty tongue-in-cheek anyway.
May 16th, 2008 at 2:02 pm (#)
“If we had a complete grip on reality, seeing every sitiuation exacltly for what it is,” we would be God. God is the happiest personality ever. Or course it can be frustating and depressing if we try to be God ourselves. However, thinkning God’s thoughts after him is not depressing. Reality isn’t just a collection of gritty details, but reality is what it is because of God’s plan. It is a good plan, a good plan to get out of bed for.
May 16th, 2008 at 4:37 pm (#)
Ryan, I commend you for your faith and optimism. However, for some in the world and at different points in history, reality actually is/was little more than a “collection of gritty details”. Saying the 400,000 dead in Darfur is just a part of God’s grand plan doesn’t make that reality any less gritty and depressing for the 400,000 families. The same applies to all the tragedies, misfortunes, and adversities; as trivial as they may be, we each face on a daily basis. If someone is going through a hard time, they have every right to be “frustrated and depressed”. We can’t all understand God and the complexities of his Grand Scheme as well as you.
Don’t misunderstand me though; I’m not mocking you nor am I trying to ignite a frivolous religious debate. I’m only defending, what I believe to be, a very astute and accurate observation.
May 17th, 2008 at 7:50 pm (#)
Andrew, I’d say that very few who see imperfections are best equipped to correct them. Most are just critics looking for what’s wrong in the world. Sure, there’s a lot of wrong. There are a lot of poor and dying people. I think it is the moral duty of the affluent and advantaged to help the world better, not to waste their wealth on luxuries. You can say that life on earth is “tongue in cheek,” but I’d prefer to be helpful in deed than cynical in words.