Unsuspected Satisfaction
One of the most interesting parts of studying art and architecture is the notion of “thinking outside the box.” We all know that the phrase is overused and has devolved into a sad cliché, but you understand where I’m going. Design forces you to solve a multi-faceted problem, determining the most important elements to include in your design. All things considered, design forces you to devise unorthodox solutions to everyday problems.
I remember the following problem in one of my classes: how can you connect all 9 dots using no more than 4 straight lines?
When I first tried it, I was stumped. I was stumped because I created artificial constraints that hindered me from finding the right answer. For some reason, I felt like the answer had to be within the boundaries of that box, even though the rules of the puzzle did not mention anything of the sort. I was shown the answer and automatically it clicked, “I failed because of my presuppositions.”
Of course this is merely a riddle—an interesting one—but just a riddle. But I’ve begun to think about how we abandon satisfaction because of our failed preconceived notions. We like to consider failures in our lives as passive failures: things that just happen because of a set of environmental circumstances, but it seems like we are much more active in these roles than we would ever like to admit.
I have an intensely sarcastic and biting sense of humor. Neither of these things is necessarily bad when used in the proper sense and at the proper time. I’m not going to delude myself into thinking or stating that I’ve chosen all of my moments wisely. There is always a certain amount of satisfaction associated with a quick retort or a biting comment about someone’s stupid decision. But the enjoyment ends about the same time my arm stops patting myself on the back.
It was satisfying, but not significant. The excitement ended as quickly as it came. And from the narcissistic standpoint, the solution to more satisfaction was to increase the frequency of these comments: it would serve to make sense…if something is good, do the same thing ten times more and it would be ten times better, logically speaking. Right? Not quite. The satisfaction was always fleeting and seemed to bring retorts which destroyed the enjoyment.
But what if the answer to satisfaction lay outside of my definitions? What if satisfaction is better found not in snaky comments but in genuine concern and excitement about others? I began to understand this when I asked a friend about her sister (who was in the hospital unexpectedly). I don’t want to make myself seem like a great person, because I’m certainly not, but after the conversation ended, I realized that genuine concern generates more satisfaction for me than scores of sarcastic comments. It was unsuspected at best and downright shocking at worst.
My egotistical selfishness led to a faulty belief structure which led to unreasonable actions. And in one instant, I realized the error associated with my vain and delusional quest for personal happiness, all filtered through my intensely narrow minded and foolish thoughts.
Of course, my intentions in life are not to make myself intensely satisfied. But if I can follow the guidelines outlined in the Bible while generating satisfaction, I see it as an entirely beneficial situation for everyone and making it a worthwhile goal.