Human Nature - Unending Search for Contentment

It is Human Nature not to have contentment in life...

I remember when I was just a boy and only has 1 sibling. A family of 4 having a dinner with no table nor chair. The living room, bedroom and dining area in one. 4 of us settled on the floor, which is our dining table, munched a plain and empty hamburger bun together with a liter of coke.

As a child, I enjoyed those nights as we get to enjoy soda on our dinner. Don't blame me, I am just a fan of sodas. For me, we had the best dinner because my friends back then were never allowed to have soda by their parents. So I am fortunate to have this at our dinner. Yummy!

For me, it is better than having a piece of hotdog with rice and a glass of water. Coke is life!

Life was never hard for me, I am very much fortunate. My father was a security guard then become a pedicab driver, while my mother stays at home and take care of us. Yes, not all of us was able to own a pedicab, but my father was fortunate to rent one every day. In the rain, flood, every day.

I am so lucky to have a life like this.

Growing up, I then realized that my parents are just preventing us to feel the wrath of life. I never knew that with a pack of buns and a liter of coke for dinner means that my father was able to bring home only 1USD from all day driving of a pedicab. Good thing that pedicab doesn't need gasoline, my father still has 1USD to bring home.

I am very thankful for my parents not letting me feel and suffer how hard life can be. In return, I am still their breadwinner, providing as much as I can. But of course, I still have needs, so as my wife, and that is the reason I search and search for different ways get an extra buck. Yes, I want to be rich as Tony Stark. For me, with such amount of money, there will be no problem at all. Love life, saving the world, feeding ego, that's just easy to solve, but money has to earn through hard work.

But last night is another story.

I had a dinner with my 2 subordinates. These 2 have extreme differences in living a life but were working in the same field today. I will use names such as Marie and Jenny, not their real name.

They both grow in province miles and miles away from our place. I knew their stories ever since I met them, but this was the only time we were able to share our own opinion with each other's life.

Marie was from Antique. During her young age, she already experienced to work and earn for her family through doing the laundry for somebody else.

Going to school with a packed lunch of grated coconut meat. If fortunate enough a piece of longanisa (sausage) divided into 2 meals.

For dinner, a family of 6 they have instant noodles filled with more water than suggested and seasoned with salt to taste. This will be their dinner together with rice.

Marie has worked as well as a helper to other households. But the old man threatened to rape her so she immediately finds ways to escape the house and went back home. It was not an easy journey for her that until now she's still struggling to have a better life. Bagged with courage, she traveled to metro without knowing anyone and find her luck.

She started to work in a fast-food chain, but the salary ain't enough to suffice her families needs. So she studied on her own in the cheapest college and work for our company at the same time as part-time. With only dreams of providing a better life for her family once she graduated.

Then here comes the story of Jenny. With a white and smooth skin, you can already tell how she lives her life.

Jenny is from Bicol, living in a big house with a family that is known in town. Studied and graduated in an exclusive school with a private teacher once get home to cope up with studies. Several people working for them to do all the house chores. From carrying her bag to serving their dinner. For me and Marie, we envy her life as she did not struggle to feed her self, nor experience to get hungry. During her college days, she has a $100 in her wallet for the week, while for me and Marie, are fortunate to have $5 for the week.

Until Jenny told us that she grew without the presence of her parents. Yes, she has a complete and sumptuous meal every day, but she only had it with her nannies and driver. This has been her daily life until she had her first work as a nutritionist in their local government. She arrived at home with service by her own driver and a car, then maids will meet her at the front door and carry her bag for her while telling that the dinner is ready.

A perfect life in our point of view, but with her, it is still incomplete. Despite the money, shelter and own server. It is still not complete as she is still hungry with the presence of her parents. As the youngest of the siblings, she was the last to be left living alone at home.

Until her father had an affair with another woman and their life began to change. Fortunate enough that she and her siblings have saved enough for their own and tried their luck in the metro while fighting and defending their rights on properties left by their departed father.

Until today, she still cries whenever she remembers the dinner she had alone, the struggle of living alone.

While me and Marie kiddingly told her that, at least she did not worry about the money and meal like what we had.

Three different people, work together in the same field with a different path of life but both not satisfied and struggles for different reasons.

I guess it's Human Nature to be not contented with what they have. People tend to look at each other's differences and get envy because of searching things they don't have that is found to somebody else.

Both me and Marie doesn't have enough money, but complete family. While Jenny has everything we dream of but struggling to have a complete family in one table.

In our life, each and everyone is struggling to get what we want because we see other people have them. But, have we seen what we have that others don't?

Maybe we just need to think in a different way in order to be happy.

I don't have something to reward, even my upvote is not enough. But let's have a challenge, write and think in a different way. Write about the things that you are fortunate to have which others don't have. Let's contemplate and just for this time. BE HAPPY and CONTENTED.

Image Sources 1, 2 3 (own), 4, 5, 6

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