HUNDREDS of thousands of years ago, an ancient Greek philosopher named Pythagoras lived. Today, we know him mainly for his mathematical theorem, but he was also responsible for a rather amusing innovation called the ‘Greedy Cup’. Pythagoras supposedly created the cup to prank his students and teach them the importance of moderation and self-restraint. The cup used a clever mechanism that triggered a hidden siphon when overfilled. When the siphon was triggered, all the fluid would drain through the cup’s base. So, if a student were to lack decorum and overfill his cup with drink, the cup would be emptied in a shocking, embarrassing display.

The invention of the Greedy Cup may have been intended to teach a lesson about greed, but it is also a striking metaphor for the dangers of overfilling a vessel beyond its intended capacity.

Over the past few decades, several systematic changes have eradicated, or at least lessened, the limitations and harshness of expected societal roles. The younger generations have been given the gift of freedom in their choices and a reduced level of judgement when they make choices that reflect their desires. Although there are still many obstacles that we face today, and tangible evidence of discrimination and prejudice, we are no longer completely limited by factors such as our race, gender, religion, and beliefs.

There have been concerted efforts to shift those factors from holding power over our ability to access facilities like education and healthcare. More importantly, there have been changes to ensure they do not limit our opportunities for career growth and for society as a whole.

Ultimately, this has all culminated in a rather unexpected problem. Now that we have gained access to so many opportunities, we have begun to oversaturate our lives with different pursuits and passions. Life has become more and more competitive. Every day, the standard for young people is rising so that achievements which would have been celebrated as great feats in the past are now viewed as nothing more than the bare minimum. It almost seems as if the obstacles have been finally removed from our paths, but now, the finish line has been shifted farther away from us. Young people are pushed to take on greater burdens — more subjects in school, more difficult jobs, more competitive fields. These greater burdens have become a prerequisite for living a meaningful life in today’s era. To put it simply, those who are not running at full speed will simply never move forward at all.

So, the only way for us to live a meaningful life in this new world is to fill our lives with as much as we possibly can. We are called to use every moment to become better versions of ourselves or to further our skills in a productive manner. Unfortunately, much like Pythagoras’ Cup, our lives too will eventually reach their limit. When this occurs, the benefits we had previously acquired through the changes in our world will be siphoned out and removed once more. We will arrive in the same place, unable to move forward or achieve our goals. Only this time, it will be for a different reason.

Fortunately, there is a solution to this systemic problem at an individual level. We can overcome the pressure and competition of today’s world simply by building our own paths and defining our own success. If the world suddenly does not have the space to accommodate the talent that was previously excluded from contributing, then we must find a way to expand it. Rather than compete for spots, we can try creating our own establishments and our own spaces. If following our passions suddenly becomes an arduous, intense task, we must find a different way to pursue them. At the same time, we must remember that our choices and our time are precious. As such, we must ensure that we only make choices and spend our time on things that bring us satisfaction rather than on things that we are pressured to do.

In essence, we must find a way to fill our cups without spilling them!