Greener pastures

The grass always looks greener on the other side. That is how the saying goes for people who never seem satisfied with what they already have. I suppose that is human nature; we tend to take for granted the things we already have and keep asking for more.

It is common to hear parents who compare their kids; how well their children perform in school, how they have talents for music and the arts, how they have won so-and-so competitions and so on. Then there is also talk of comparing how great someone's job is, how wonderful someone's boyfriend or girlfriend is, how they wish they were as good looking or rich as someone, the list never ends. It is a neverending cycle of keeping up with the Joneses.

For the good, there is always someone better and similarly the opposite. Just as the Desiderata says: If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain and bitter; for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.

There are those who envy celebrities because they are rich and famous, yet the truth is many celebrities are struggling to keep their lives in one piece, due to their complicated lifestyles. Some people want to be President but do not realise how big and difficult the responsibility is in governing a country. It is always easier to say how green the pasture looks on the other side without actually being there.

However, sometimes it is hard to wonder how some people seem to be so lucky. It is moments like these when you could think of the condition the late Christopher Reeve was in, and be thankful of your plight.