m1= m2

 

In the words of the ancient Greek philosopher Plato, "The greatest wealth is to live content with little." But Ron Malhotra once said, "The day you become satisfied is the day you stop improving." There’s a whole list of contradictory quotes and proverbs.

I was always so confused by quotes like these; I wondered who was right and who was wrong. But I have come to the realization that neither of them is wrong; in fact, if applied correctly, they both give the same result. I came up with a theory, and I believe it will go a long way toward helping us understand these seemingly contradictory quotes better.

My Maths teacher once explained, "If two lines are parallel, then their slopes are equal. Let the slopes of the two parallel lines be m1 and m2, then by the condition of parallelism, m1=m2."

This being the case, we can rightly conclude that "if two quotes are contradictory, their results, if applied correctly, are equal. Let the results of the correct application of the quotes be m1 and m2, then, by the condition of parallelism, m1=m2."

To prove this theory, I will explain the previously mentioned quotes and why their results, if applied correctly, are the same. According to Plato, being content with the little you have is the greatest wealth there is. Plato is right, because contentment has a way of bringing happiness. Being satisfied with what you have without longing for more has a way of saving you from problems, especially problems that stem from greed. But in the bid to live a life of contentment, so many people have lost their drive to do better or be better. In their pursuit of contentment, a lot of people have neglected the principle of going the extra mile. thus bringing us to the words of Ron Malhotra.

Ron explained that the day we become satisfied, we automatically stop improving. In the preceding paragraph, we see how this plays out. But also, a lot of people have lost so many things as a result of their lack of contentment. Due to their intense dissatisfaction with where they are, they miss out on the happiness attached to where they are.

So, what do we do now? Should we remain content or tread the path of discontentment? It all comes down to the right application of these admonitions to give us the desired result.

We must know when to be content and when not to be content. We must understand when what we have should be okay for us and when dissatisfaction should spur us out of our comfort zones.

An example is an accountant who has a well-paying 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. job, a car, and allowances. Now, this person is an amazing musician who turns heads when he sings. But he’s satisfied with his job. It’s really stressful, but it’s fine; he can pay his bills. Now, this is a scenario of when not to be content, because there’s so much more in him than being an accountant. He’s depriving the world of hearing the voice of a talented musician and robbing the music industry of songs that can make a difference.  because he’s fine with his job, he doesn’t feel the need to improve on his musical abilities. Who knows? He just might be the next Don Williams!

Unfortunately, there are so many people doing the exact same thing—so many people that are locking up the more in them all in their bid to hold on to being content. But what they do not know is that going the extra mile, leaving your comfort zone, and refusing to be satisfied with where you are, brings with it a different kind of satisfaction.

An example of when to be contented with what you have is when you begin to envy what others have. When you’ll do anything to get something that doesn’t belong to you, then you need to work on being content with the little you have. Because, as Plato said, that is really the greatest wealth there is!

The reason people stick with contentment is because they want to experience happiness. Similarly, the reason why people are discontent, is because they want to find happiness. But, the end result of the correct application of Plato’s quote= happiness, and the end result of the correct application of Ron’s quote= happiness too.

Thus, justifying the theory that states, "If two quotes are contradictory, their results, if applied correctly, are equal."