Dissatisfaction, The Foundation of Society

Introduction

By now, everyone is aware that technology is accelerating at an exponential rate, fundamentally changing our societies. From the way we connect and interact with each other to the way we tackle problems and solve mysteries, technology has been a catalyst to change. However, in the contemporary world, there are individuals, organizations, and communities that spark these changes or embrace the new technology, in addition to others who literally take no action.

Image by Yang Shuo

This illustrates a clear contrast between people who are complacent with their current situation, fulfilled and satisfied by resources and tools available to them, and the people who always want more, whether that is to tackle a problem, solve a mystery, invent a new technology or to simply build. Undoubtedly, one is more advantageous than the other because it paves the path to collective growth and progress.

Definition

Complacency is the act of being satisfied with one’s own situation, environment, or achievement. It is the mindset–or rather anti-mindset–that leads to no action being taken. The opposite of complacency is dissatisfaction, a desire for more, an ambition to grow. They both appear individually and collectively.

Image by Monstera

Individually

As individuals, humans can either be motivated and encouraged to explore their interests, to develop skills, and to grow as a human towards a more enjoyable life, or they can simply be satisfied with the status quo. In a world where the way of living is changing at an exponential speed due to new technologies, the ability to adopt and embrace the change is crucial. One could be satisfied with their current status, and not take any action. This type of life may be enjoyable to them. With that said, the purpose of new technologies is not to force anyone to adopt them unintentionally. At its core, technologies are solutions to problems that enhance the experience of life, therefore when a new technology emerges it often means that an experience has been enhanced. This means that adopting and embracing change will improve the life of that human being. The mindset of taking no action (complacency) is only going to prevent that individual from discovering a new way of living.

Collectively

It also has to be noted that technologies are developed by humans, so one human taking action to embrace the change means that it could potentially also benefit the collective humankind. Embracing change in this case means learning how to use technology, develop a skill, build a project, or tackle an issue. No problem or mystery is going to be tackled on its own. If no individual takes action to solve or tackle those problems or mysteries as a result of complacency, nothing is going to happen, or even worse, the society will deteriorate.

We can think of humankind and our society as an ocean. Ocean is created by small droplets of water. If no droplet of water exists, no ocean will exist. Water droplets contribute to the existence of each other to create what we call an ocean, and humans can contribute to the existence of each other to solve world problems, and collectively improve the experience of life for everyone.

Conclusion

It is through the mindset of dissatisfaction or ambition that humans can, both individually and collectively, progress towards a more enjoyable existence on planet Earth. People have to understand that nothing can be taken for granted, and that if it was not for the effort and time of passionate individuals, the world that we live in today would not have existed. For that reason, give back to society by solving a problem or tackling an issue.