Vidita Mishra, Cultural Secretary, Laurels International School
Have you ever felt that what you have is never enough?
You finish one exam, and before you can breathe, there’s another goal waiting. You buy a new phone, and soon it feels old. You get appreciation, but then you want a little more.
That quiet feeling—that what we have is not enough—is what I call the Illusion of Insufficiency.
It looks harmless but works like a sweet evil: it smiles while stealing your peace.
What Is This Illusion?
Illusion means a trick of the mind. It makes us believe something that isn’t fully true.
This illusion tells even the happiest person, “You need a little more to be complete.”
A rich man wants more wealth; a powerful person wants more control.
And strangely, even we—students—want more marks, more followers, more approval.
We forget that life itself is uncertain. None of us knows how long our story will be—a month, a year, or even a day. Yet we spend so much of it running after “more”.
How It Plays With Our Mind?
Deep down, most of us sense what’s right and wrong. But when this illusion whispers in our ears, we start ignoring that voice.
We become so busy chasing “next” that we forget to enjoy “now.”
It’s like being on a treadmill—you’re running fast, getting tired, but you’re still in the same spot. The reward always looks close, yet never arrives.
The Real Cost – Losing Today
When we keep waiting for the next thing to make us happy, we postpone joy.
“I’ll relax after the next exam.”
“I’ll feel confident once I buy that new dress.”
“I’ll be enough when others notice me.”
But the truth is—we miss the laughter happening right now, the peace in small moments, the fun with friends.
Albert Einstein once wrote in a 1950 letter to Robert S. Marcus:
“A human being is part of the whole, called by us ‘Universe,’ a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself and his feelings as something separate from the rest—an optical illusion of his consciousness.”
He added that striving to free ourselves from this illusion brings peace of mind.
That “delusion” is the illusion of insufficiency—it locks us in the prison of wanting.
The Way Out – Shifting How We See Ourselves
Escaping the illusion doesn’t mean giving up ambition or dreams.
It simply means changing where our worth comes from.
If we believe our value depends on grades, gadgets, or looks, we’ll keep running forever.
But if we start to see that our worth is already inside us—in our kindness, awareness, and courage—the chase becomes peaceful.
True success isn’t when we get everything; it’s when we stop believing we’re incomplete without it.
The Ultimate Success – Freedom From “More”
The illusion promises happiness “later”. But happiness only lives now.
When we choose consciousness over comparison, self-worth over show-off, gratitude over greed, we begin to feel light.
As Alan Watts observed, “Past and future are real illusions; they exist in the present, which is all there is.” (Widely attributed to Alan Watts, though exact source not verified.)
Maybe that’s the secret—to live fully in this moment, not waiting for another one to make us happy.
Let’s remind each other, as friends and classmates:
We already have enough reasons to smile, learn, and grow—right here, right now.