The Grass is Always Greener on the Other Side

Mr. Smith looks out his window and sees his neighbor's lawn. It looks so lush and well trimmed. "Darnit," he thinks to himself, "why is does his grass always look so much better." Unbeknownst to him, his neighbor is looking at Mr. Smith's orchard thinking "Darnit, why are the trees in his orchard so much better at producing fruit?"

This fictional account exemplifies the meaning of the adage "The Grass is Always Greener on the Other Side." It speaks to the fact that it is much easier for us to see what we do not have than what we do have. Mr. Smith is busy thinking about how bad his lawn is without realizing that his orchard is probably the best in the neighborhood. And his neighbor can only think about how much better his own orchard could be without considering that his lawn is pristine.

It really is a sad commentary on human nature. If people would open their eyes and be content with what they have, there would be so much less conflict and people would be much happier. Instead, we spend much of our time trying to attain more and more. We must get away from this need.