Being Human: Finding Harmony In A Flawed World

How often do you believe a future change will bring you lasting happiness and joy?

I bet it's quite often.

You think that getting the job you want, the relationship you want, and the money you want is going to make you happy once and for all.

But, if you really think about it, this is rather unrealistic.

Just imagine some alien civilization coming down to earth one day and knocking on your door.

They ask you, what you wish to change and you tell them to change everything that's wrong with the world:

The tyrants that wage wars, your employer that values you more for your utility than who you are as a person, and the political polarization that destabilizes society.

They listen intently and then pull out a magic wand. They wave it, and all the things you've told them have disappeared. The evil of humankind has been banished.

Now, you think that life is eternal bliss and go to the toilet. To your dismay, you discover that someone pissed on ask yourself "What's wrong with people?"

The deeper lesson of this thought experiment is that no matter what happens you're still human. And that means that you'll remain stuck with a set of problems that will never go away:

You still need a roof over your head, food in your stomach, some nice people to hang around, and something meaningful to do. Nothing will ever change that.

All the things that you think will save you won't. In fact, they can't. They might feel nice for a few weeks, or even years, but they can't solve your fundamental problems. Nothing can.

The human condition is inescapable.

Yet, you go through life as if something can.

The realization that nothing will, can be a huge relief because it prompts you to find harmony in daily life with all its imperfections.

Yes, there are tyrants out there starting cruel wars. Yes, your company cares more about your utility than you as a person. Yes, people piss on seats in bathrooms.

But, instead of letting those things start a war within yourself, you can choose to live in harmony with the world despite them.

This doesn't mean ignoring them or doing nothing about them.

By all means, do something when you can make the world a little bit better. After all, that's what becoming a better person is all about: to become more capable, kind, and peaceful, so that you can bring more good into the world.

But, maybe instead of hoping that eternal bliss depends on something external, you may want to change your inner world, so that you live in more harmony with the now.

Even if the now will forever be plagued by the imperfections of the human condition.^[1]