When people find themselves in an undesirable situation, they have two choices: accept it or try to change it. Though there are certainly merits to surrendering to adversity, I think it is better to make efforts to overcome it.
First, I believe that satisfaction is a subjective emotion that can be controlled with enough practice. For instance, some people may feel satisfied with simply having a roof over their heads, clothes to wear, and food to eat, whereas others have an insatiable appetite for newer and better things. If one is able to train themselves to feel gratitude simply for being alive and healthy, then no matter how tedious their job might be or how low their salary might be, they will be able to feel content with what they have. In a sense, these kinds of people, who are almost completely void of greed, are potentially the happiest people there are on this planet.
However, I do not think this means that everyone should prioritize controlling their emotions and abandon efforts to improve an unpleasant situation. While I do believe that people can be happy without having great ambitions, I think life would be rather dull unless we challenge ourselves. Thus, I am of the opinion that if we are unhappy about the situations we find ourselves in, it would be much more interesting if we think about ways to make positive changes. Since humans most likely only live life once, I am eager to know the limits of my potential. That is why I am motivated to overcome obstacles that most people may consider insurmountable; I simply want to satisfy my curiosity to find out if what people assume is impossible is in fact impossible. For example, it is said that English education in Japan has never been and most likely never will be successful, leaving the majority of citizens incapable of having a good command of the language. This is exactly why I have decided to take on the Herculean task of revolutionizing the system of English education in this country.
Another reason why we should never accept a negative situation without a fight is because if we are labeled as someone who never complains, there will always be the possibility of others taking advantage of us. This toxic relationship does no good to anyone—the one being exploited will not be able to develop their self-esteem, and the one doing the exploiting will fall into a vicious cycle of preying on the weak and provoking feelings of resentment. Thus, people should always try to put in effort to make a bad situation better for everybody’s sake.
In conclusion, although if we simply want to be “happy”, all that is necessary is a change in one’s mindset, I believe that there is more to life than simply experiencing this emotional state. As Maslow once said, humans instinctively have the desire for self-actualization, so it is more worthwhile to aim high and live life to the fullest.