When you search or aspire for the best, you are never sure that
you have got it – because it is likely that, somewhere, there is
better, since you cannot possibly have looked everywhere. If you
acquire or aspire for what is universally acknowledged as the best, there
is always a chance that it will get bettered in the next few days --- what will
you do then ? Go after the new best ? And when and how will this search
end ?
When iPhone came out, it was the best phone and there was a mad
rush for it till, very soon, its makers declared it obsolete and
said i2 was the best phone and there was again a mad rush for it to be followed
in quicker succession by i3, i4 and now i5 – so what happened to the
seeker of the “best’ – every time they got the best, they were nervously
waiting for the next best.
Look at Gillette. They started with one blade protected in a plastic
sheath saying this is the best (i.e. safest) razor for the closest shave.
Soon they obsoleted the buyer saying the twin blade gives the real close
“bestest” shave. Then, they went on to 3, then 4 and now 5 blades for
doing what earlier they themselves claimed their single blade could do.
And how does the 5-blade shave prove is it is the best of the best
? Have you ever been accosted by anyone who says, wow you have had a
5-blade shave, it shows. Or the reverse - oh man ! you have just
had 3-blade shave & it shows !
This is true, ad nauseum, for anything that you buy as the
best Unfortunately, this obsession for the best is
affecting our personal lives too. People are searching for the best
marriage partner – so they want good looks, nay the best looks, the best
figure, the best brains, the best dress sense, the best
voice, the best bank account, the best conversationalist and not
finding all these best qualities in one, renew their search with doubled vigour
for the elusive best.
Similarly there is the search for the best clothes, the best tailor, the
best hair stylist, the best cook, the best house, the best linen, the best sofa
set, the best paint, the best cutlery and so on for everything that forms a
part of our life.
However, when you look for the good there is no such confusion – because
when you say I am happy with what is “good” what you are saying is that
you are happy with what is “good enough”. This “good enough” is defined
by you and is therefore entirely in your control and up to you.
When a housewife goes shopping for vegetables, she doesn't search
for the best vegetable – she looks for what is good enough. She doesn't
look for the best tomato but is satisfied with what will serve her purpose –
e.g. even if she comes across slightly soft tomatoes , she will still buy it if
she is going to use it for making soup or Pau Bhaji, rather than keep
looking for the best tomato – red, firm and large.
You know what is “good enough” when you know what is your purpose
– and this is the nub of the matter. Those seeking and satisfied with
“good” know what their purpose is -- those seeking the best,
do not. Hence the best seekers remain forever “seekers” in
their lives but never arrive and that is why they are always a dissatisfied lot
– because they are never sure that what they have is the best and are always
scared that there is a “bester” out there which they do not have.
The "good" seeker simply says -- this is good
enough for me and that is the end of the matter.
Saying "this is good enough" requires courage,
for it involves making a commitment, and making a decision which
most of today’s younger generation are incapable of, having been
fed on the fiction of best, which always allows them to postpone making a
commitment or making a decision and allows them to, perennially, pretend
that they have such high standards that ordinary things and ordinary
mortals cannot match it."
Does this mean that I am
suggesting that one should not strive
for the best ? Does this mean that I am
suggesting that one should remain satisfied with whatever is one’s present
condition and not try to improve ? No,
absolutely not.
My thesis is, strive for the best, but do not pine for the
best. Always look to make your
performance the best possible ; however
do not get engrossed in trying to “acquire” the best available.
Improving your
performance, challenging your own standards to climb higher, run faster, last
longer is a journey towards excellence and must always be pursued, as this is the
path to improvement. However, getting entangled in always trying to acquire the
“best possible” or the “best
available” is a sure step towards
dissatisfaction and misery, since such “best” has no end and you are never sure
that you have actually got the best.
The best is illusory
and temporal ; the good is real and long - lasting. The seekers of the
best are always unsure and insecure and, therefore, more
often than not, rather an unhappy lot. Those that are
satisfied with good have no such doubts or insecurities and are, generally, a more
satisfied and happier lot.
The truth is -- there is no best, for there is always
better. However, there is always "good" because it is
encapsuled in "good enough", which is a matter of decision. If
only we learnt to be happy with what is good, there is always a chance of
making it better and never be worried about the best.
Mumbai
August 22, 2013
