We often hear the sentence: "We should be satisfied with what we have. Others are even worse off!" The poor in society in particular are often told: "Be satisfied with what you have! You would have been much worse off 100 years ago!"

These sentences are partly true, partly fundamentally wrong. Are we better off today than we used to be? Yes, on many levels! Should we now be modest, sit back and be content with what we have? Quite clearly: No!

Because being satisfied with something also means accepting the status quo, coming to terms with it. Being satisfied involves a compromise: the situation is not as good as it could be, but, well, it's not as bad as it was 100 years ago either.

Having inner peace with yourself, being grateful for your life, for what you have and for the achievements of this world, that is good and right. But many people confuse gratitude with contentment, which means or causes stagnation. This distinction is an art. It is like the difference between listening and listening. The first is closed, static, the second is open, dynamic.

Yes, we should be grateful for what we have achieved. Grateful that people are living longer and healthier lives. Grateful that violence in the world has reached an all-time low and continues to fall. Grateful that humanity is better off than it was 100 years or 200 or 1000 years ago.

But it is the most natural thing in the world that we humans - like all other living beings - must continue to develop our potential. But being content means ignoring the future! We still have no idea what the future could be like, and if we remain content, we are blocking our path to it from the outset. (See also my book The best is yet to come).

We must not be satisfied with the current situation! Take a break now and then? Of course, that's fine, but instead of aiming to be permanently satisfied, my tip is: live in peace, in inner peace. Be grateful. But always be open to change and never be so content that you stop helping to make the world a better place.

Remember: the good is the enemy of the better.