The Rolling Stones' You Can't Always Get What You Want is a kick in the pants. Every once in a while, people need one of those. I know I do. When I do, I turn to Mick Jagger & company for a reminder.
We all want things. We want a comfortable life. We want the latest gadget. We want people to love us. We want money. We want shiny objects. We want beauty. We want to have fun. We want fame & fortune. We want, we want, we want, ...
And, at our worst, we think the Universe (substitute God, Allah, fortune, chance, ...whatever your belief is is fine with me) owes us what we want. The truth is, though, we are owed nothing. The Universe is vast. We are all just tiny little pieces of it --even the mightiest among us. It's not that the Universe doesn't care, but it's got better things to do. If the Universe were fair and listened to what we want, I'm pretty sure it would give safety to the children in Aleppo before it would give us a book contract. The Universe is not always fair in a way that makes sense to us as individual beings who are here for a brief blip of time. For this reason, it is important to remember humility.
The Rolling Stones captured this truth --with a choir! Sometimes, we get what we want. When this happens, it's an amazing thing. Those moments should be celebrated. Sometimes, though, as in the song, what we want is counter to what's best for us (she went to meet her connection ...). We may get it, we may not, and it could possibly be harmful. And still other times, even if we want something that is reasonable --health, housing, love, food, it isn't available. These moments must be tolerated and we try to move past them.
Humility and the Rolling Stones tell us that, if we are presented with opportunities, even if they are not what we imagined for ourselves in our moments of grandiosity, we should seize them. "But, if you try sometime, you find/ you get what you need." You try. You can't always get what you want, but what you maybe get what you need. If you are humble, you realize this. You accept it. Humility leads to contentment. You are satisfied to get what you need. And (good news!), the Rolling Stones don't say you can't be gifted with things you want --just not all of the time. People who get everything they want tend not to be grateful people. People who can turn disappointment into contentment, or who can be thankful for the small gifts they receive, are much more well-adjusted.
The irony of the Rolling Stones being used as examples of humility is not lost on me. I only mean the song. The Universe approves.
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