I Wrote A Poem

[kerravonsen]

Empty Vessels

It screams at us "Go out and buy"
Until our goods will reach the sky
We never even wonder why
Or where our money went;
The song of discontent.

It swears ambition is the best
And only competition's blessed
And you must rise above the rest
Spend all in your ascent;
The song of discontent.

Relaxation's always lazy
Satisfaction must be crazy
We must never take it easy
For rest is time misspent;
The song of discontent.

It looks at a half-empty glass
Says over there is greener grass
Insists our gold is only brass
And we must now lament;
The song of discontent.

---

(Because I am sick of feeling defensive about my lack of ambition.)

Comments

[watervole]

"That says, I can do anything" is the bit that really annoys me. There's this cultural pressure that says you can achieve anything if only you want it bad enough and work hard enough.

Well, no, you can't actually.

[kerravonsen]

"That says, I can do anything" is the bit that really annoys me.

Yeah, that annoys me too. It is doubly poisonous because it decrees that all failures are due to lack of faith and/or lack of hard work; it doesn't even conceive that some things might simply be impossible for one person to achieve. It is insidiously plausible because the negation of it is true: that one cannot achieve something if one does not first believe that one can. To speak Logic: belief is a Necessary but not Sufficient condition for accomplishment.

Mind you, I do feel frustrated sometimes when people see my craft work and say "Oh, I could never do that!" - because they won't even try.

[watervole]

Absolutely! I believe I could do most craft activities if I'm willing to put in the time and effort. I've mastered several in my time.

On the other hand, I would never try chainmaille work because I have RSI and am realistic enough to know that the repetitive squeezing needed to make the rings would be an issue.

[kerravonsen]

On the other hand, I would never try chainmaille work because I have RSI and am realistic enough to know that the repetitive squeezing needed to make the rings would be an issue.

Very wise. When I first started, my hands got very sore. Getting better pliers helped a lot, but I still need to be careful.