Pleasantly Surprised > Horribly Disappointed
Tagged as: May 22Expectations. We have them about all kinds of things. Sometimes we base them on our experiences, but more often we seem to base them on our hopes and dreams. We can have them about things like birthdays, get-togethers, and other events. In our mind’s eye we see people being caring and loving, friendly and jolly. It’s not always so, is it?
But besides that, we can even have expectations about much more concrete matters. When we sit in the chair, we have that dreamy expectation that the chair will hold up our weight. If that expectation isn’t met, we sure aren’t too happy! And so it goes moment by moment with all sorts of things that we encounter.
More recently I’ve noticed how much people do this with things that they don’t understand. Or rather, I’ve noticed how this comes into play when people are dealing with those things that most of us do not fully understand. Things like televisions, computer programs, and automobiles will all sorely disappoint us when we expect them to work and they do not. But when we don’t know what to expect, and things work how happy are we?
When we try out a shortcut key and find that some programmer has made sure that shortcut key works aren’t we pleasantly surprised? Or when we go to a website, make a guess at what to do, aren’t we glad for whoever made it work just so?
I emphasize the computer software, but it’s obviously more.
you are so weird.
Haha what?? Not that I disagree, but I don’t know why I got that for this post.
Anyways, I take it that you don’t agree with it then…?
i’m not sure it’s a “dreamy expectation” that the chair will hold up my weight…
Yeah I agree, I don’t think so either. I was hoping the “dreamy” would get that sarcasm bell ringing.
oh derek wong, you are the utmost T i’ve yet to encounter.
Really? How come??
Expectations about such things like a chair bearing our weight – that’s also right there with taking things for granted. It also depends on what you’re expecting! Some people always expect the worse and of course, some always expect good things to happen and one person’s good thing is another person’s disappointment.
Oh true. I think that over time I’ve become someone who expects the worst in the hope that I will be surprised. I’m rather averse to disappointment! Sometimes I can see someone’s good thing is another person’s disappointment (think one man marries the woman of his dreams while some other guy that pines after her misses his opportunity). But in a lot of things, I can’t really see how disappointment can lead to the good. Maybe I don’t have enough experiences?
I don’t see another person’s good being someone else’s disappointment. Disappointment is all about attitude. In your example of marriage, the man may choose to be happy that the woman of his dreams married someone else because he is happy she is happy.
Also, expecting the worse is so much less enjoyable than expecting the best! When things don’t turn out the way I want I chose to think that ultimately, things will work out for the best.
I carry my beliefs because I have seen how the belief that “it’s not going to work out anyway” and “life is hard” and “things never go well or are easy” are self-fulfilling prophecies. A few people very close to me have these beliefs. I don’t like to see them suffer and be so unhappy but everyone has their own path to follow.
Hm I suppose that the man could choose to see it as a good thing that the woman married someone else. But personally, I know that I’d regret not taking the chance that I had.
I don’t know if I particularly think that expecting the worse is less enjoyable than expecting the worst. That is, as long as my expectations don’t affect how I go about it. I don’t try to make my expectations into self-fulfilling prophecies, and I can avoid the disappointment of unmet expectations. I like the “hope for the best, expect the worst” mindset.