You have certainly read several texts about the era of people who are dissatisfied with their work, with their family, with their partner, in short, with life. However, what we will be dealing with here is about the power of dissatisfaction on a new perspective. And first of all we need to understand a subtle difference: Dissatisfaction is not synonymous with unhappiness. Happiness is not always synonymous with comfort. You must have heard that happiness is a state of mind, so those who know how to be happy can smile regardless of the circumstances. Is that you? Have you ever found yourself dissatisfied but smiling? For example, have you ever excelled in school, but not enough to reach the dreamed 10? You were happy for the overcoming, even though you were left with the taste of “I want more”. Now that you understand some of this subtle difference, you may wonder, “But how can a person be happy if they will never be satisfied? ”.
We have two ways to understand this question:
- What happens when you're starving and suddenly eat everything you want? Yes, you are happy and satisfied. And once you're full, do you want more food? No… Or yes, but maybe later. The point is that right after eating you don't want anything else, apart from a possible nap, because you're satisfied, you've killed that need and that's it. But what would happen if you were satisfied forever? Of course you wouldn't be hungry anymore, but at what cost? You would never taste chocolate or your grandmother's pasta again.
- Now, let's go back in time, more specifically to ancient Greece. What would philosophers be without their constant search for truth? Every day they got together, they philosophized, they found answers to their questions, but there was always one more to be debated. And what can we get out of it? They were enamored of wisdom even though they could never fully attain it. What made them so genius was their dissatisfaction with how little they knew compared to what was yet to be discovered.
Although distinct, these two problematizations involve issues such as pleasure — also understood as happiness — and the concepts of satisfaction and dissatisfaction. Through this perspective we can say that the dissatisfied man is always in search of improvement. The dissatisfied man will always be looking for his satisfaction, and if he is wise enough he will keep in mind that such satisfaction is only to be found in his last days. After all, life was made so that, like Plato, we can get out of the cave every day. So learn to see the value of your surroundings and be happy, but don't forget the importance of dissatisfaction.
