A hungry fox wandered into a vineyard. He saw a bunch of ripe grapes hanging at a height. Without wasting time, he leaped for it. However, he couldn’t reach them. He tried again. And again. And again. But the bunch was too high for him.

Turning away in disappointment, the fox muttered, ‘Who wants those sour grapes anyway?’

It’s a familiar Aesop parable. Any 7-year-old knows its lesson too: People tend to belittle the things that they can’t get.

But is that the whole lesson?

In our 30s and 40s, we tend to reflect on our childhood lessons, especially in times of crisis. Sometimes such deep thoughts can fish out valuable insights.

I recently had such a mid-life revelation about the fox.

The Vineyard of Life

Let us walk into the vineyard. Modern life dangles tempting grapes before us. A bigger car, a huge house, a charming man/woman; it can be anything. They beckon us.

Some tricky grapes confuse us by assuming non-material forms. They may take the form of dopamine-inducing activities like social media scrolling, drinking, eating junk food, and so on. Bored with the normalcy of our everyday life, we get lured into many of them.

Yet, we mock the moth drawn to the flame, unaware that we do the same.

The Peril of the Lured

But as alluring as these grapes are, they often come with a price. For instance, the buzz of inebriation, the rush of an illicit relationship, and the thrill of over speeding are captivating. But there is a tomorrow that undoes them. A hangover, the shame of getting caught with another man, and a debilitating crash await those who fall for the traps.

This is tragic.

But why do most fall into these traps in the first place?

Getting Caught in Traps

Maybe it’s the side effect of social media. We are lured into thinking that everyone else is having a good time. Shared pictures, we assume, attest to our friends’ dream lives. The Fear of Missing Out (FOMO) creeps in.

In an effort to break out of the shackles, we take drastic steps, chase the mirage of happiness, and inevitably fall into the traps.

Another reason might be the feeling of entitlement. Our generation is privileged. We were given most of the things we desired. This nurtured the ‘Want it? Go get it!’ attitude.

A third reason might be our selfishness. We prioritize our comfort, happiness, and pleasure even at the expense of other’s.

But we forget: no rollercoaster ride lasts forever. At some point, you have to step off and return to reality.

This is a valuable lesson.

Living with the Ordinary

Can’t we learn to enjoy normalcy? What we count as normal and boring—home-cooked food, an ordinary husband/wife, an old house, a medium-paying job—are all luxuries to multitudes. With overexposure, we became blind to these boons and eventually thankless.

The fix? Take a moment to appreciate what we have. It will give us peace and serenity; unlike the momentary pleasures.

Maybe that’s why even superheroes—Batman, Superman, and Spider-Man—yearn for an ordinary life.

First Deserve, then Desire

This is not to say that we shouldn’t have dreams. We should. And should chase them too. That’s how we grow. But before we set our aim on something, ask ourselves, ‘Is this right for me?’.

Vet the intentions that prompt us. If we are motivated by greed, selfishness, or the feeling of entitlement, we should back away. Otherwise, we reserve a seat for a life filled with misery, guilt, and self-loathing. Thus we spiral down the drain in the quest for fleeting pleasures.

Isn’t it better to let go of the grapes? Perhaps the real wisdom lies not in grabbing what tempts us, but in cherishing what we already have.

The fox was right all along, sans the monologue.

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