Life is temporary. We live, we learn, hopefully we love but regardless we die. As children we grow, as teenagers we experiment, in our 20s we try to find ourselves and afterwards we strive to be satisfied through family, well-deserved careers and further exploration of ourselves. Before our individual rolling stone finally comes to rest, the hope is that we are satisfied with our lives. But it begs the question, is satisfaction even possible?
In their hit song, and one of Rolling Stone Magazine‘s greatest songs of all time, ‘(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction,’ The Rolling Stones appear to have a negative outlook on the subject, but read (or sing) the lyrics and decide for yourself.
I can’t get no satisfaction
I can’t get no satisfaction
‘Cause I try and I try and I try and I try
I can’t get no, I can’t get no
When I’m drivin’ in my car
And that man comes on the radio
And he’s tellin’ me more and more
About some useless information
Supposed to fire my imagination
I can’t get no, oh no no no
Hey hey hey, that’s what I say
I can’t get no satisfaction
I can’t get no satisfaction
‘Cause I try and I try and I try and I try
I can’t get no, I can’t get no
When I’m watchin’ my TV
And that man comes on to tell me
How white my shirts can be
But he can’t be a man ’cause he doesn’t smoke
The same cigarrettes as me
I can’t get no, oh no no no
Hey hey hey, that’s what I say
I can’t get no satisfaction
I can’t get no girl reaction
Cause I try and I try and I try and I try
I can’t get no, I can’t get no
When I’m ridin’ round the world
And I’m doin’ this and I’m signing that
And I’m tryin’ to make some girl
Who tells me baby better come back later next week
Cause you see I’m on losing streak
I can’t get no, oh no no no
Hey hey hey, that’s what I say
I can’t get no, I can’t get no
I can’t get no satisfaction
No satisfaction, no satisfaction, no satisfaction
Do you agree with Mick Jagger and company? Is the drive and determination to be satisfied in this life a useless pursuit and instead just should be painted black? Exploration of imagination and love seems to provide potential satisfaction but the end result is always ‘oh no no no.’ Music today romanticizes the notion of living fast and dying young, as a recent article by The Atlantic explores in detail, and why not? Like unrequited love, burning fast and bright is the satisfaction we seek. An unrequited life brims with hope eternal and is thusly fulfilling. The Rolling Stones might have been on to something.
Or, are you more optimistic? Do you subscribe to the school of thought that the pursuit is, in itself, satisfying? If our physical and intellectual growth is part of the cycle of life, shouldn’t the beauty just be in the endless pursuit? You can’t always get what you want, so revel in hard experiences and life lessons that help you grow along the way. Hindsight is 20/20 and thus by overcoming obstacles, the satisfaction comes from being able to look back, right?
So, can you get satisfaction?
Mikethatmiller 