The Water Carriers

My previous post left you with the thought of whether a person can be 'inspired' or highly 'motivated' to work in areas which can be generally considered more mundane as compared to other jobs.

Previously, I had cited the example of a street sweeper and quoted a few lines from Robert Frost's poem, "Two Tramps in Mud Time" and ever since, the thought has been lingering in my mind. The human mindset is way more complex than anything we can imagine. Perhaps, that is why Psychology and Neurosciences are still not able to predict, outline or graph the fluctuations of our mindsets and the effects of those fluctuations.

The truth is, that if there was anything that made the homo sapiens different and unique, it's the human mindset. The human mindset is powerful enough to change your life and the lives of all around you. It's really all about the way you think about it, be it your future or your present.

I came across this interesting example which proves that it's really the mindset which makes all the difference. If you want to believe that your situation is pitiable or boring, you will be unconsciously transforming your situation to just that! If you change that belief and embrace your situation as exciting or rewarding, your situation transforms into that!

Two men were responsible for carting water from the well for the whole village. The journey took half a day to get there and half a day to return with the full buckets back to the village.

One day a stranger asked what their responsibilities were. The first water carrier complained that he had to perform this tiring, hard and unappreciated duty.

The second water carrier explained that his role was critical to the survival of the village. He was entrusted by the elders of the village to provide the water that would refresh the children, wash the clothes and grow the crops.

In the above example, two distinct mindsets have been described, both arising from similar situations. My question here is, that in the case of the positive mindset, is there a certain amount of compromise involved in achieving that mindset?

Does the second person actually compromise on the possibilities of his future because he wants to believe that his current situation is aimed at a greater good - and therefore settles for this mundane job? Is it because he believes that there's no easy way out, that he takes his current situation in a positive light?