Stop squeezing every last drop
“I’m not interested in squeezing something so tight that I get every last drop. I don’t want, need, or care about every last drop. Those last drops usually don’t taste as good anyway. My thirst is usually well quenched far before that final drop.”
–Jason Fried, in this article
It’s a joy to stumble on a piece of writing in which someone perfectly says what you have tried (but failed) to say before. A few weeks ago, I wrote a piece about how living a “superlative” life is bad living. When we’re constantly focused on the best possible experiences, we miss the beauty in normal experiences.
What Jason Fried’s line reminds me of is my morning French press coffee. The French press isn’t filtered through paper, so a layer of sediment falls through to the bottom of the mug. Some days I get greedy, and I want to keep sipping down to the last drop. Every time, I’m met with an unpleasant mouthful of coffee sediment, that ruins an otherwise delicious aftertaste.
Capitalism and industry can make us feel like we shouldn’t enjoy a normal experience. So we optimize, optimize, optimize. But at what cost?
Seriously, I’m asking you to think about it. At what cost?
