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"Anticipation is often Greater than Realization”

1- Introduction
2- Anticipating Just for the Joy of anticipation
3- Why Anticipation is greater than realization?
i. Anticipating Just for the Joy of anticipation
ii. People Anticipate Pleasant Realizations
iii. Anticipations allows one to analyse outcomes of actions
iv. Anticipation can prevent war
v. The terrorist attacks on World Trade Centre – a case of failed anticipation
vi. Failure of Soviet Union to Anticipate her Debacle in the Soviet-Afghan War
vii. The War on Terror and George Bush’s Inability to anticipate outcomes
viii. Anticipating Nuclear War and its Dangers of Realization
ix. Anticipation can prevent crimes

4- Examples Where Anticipation is greater than realization
i. Anticipating Events and Occasions
ii. A student’s anticipation
iii. A lover’s anticipation
iv. Anticipation of an Unemployed and a Newly Employed Person

5- Conclusion



“Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you are going to get next.”
(From the movie, ‘Forrest Gump’)

The pleasure is not in doing the thing; the pleasure is in planning it. Similarly, the idea for wanting something makes it more exciting. Anticipation is a product of curiosity and expectation. It drives people and forces them to strive for the realization of a goal or an objective. Once a goal is realized, the fervour fades and a sense of normality makes its way into the life. Anticipation breeds enthusiasm, which provides impetus for achieving a goal. Without anticipation, life would be colourless and monotonous. Anticipation is a norm of life. From a student to a teacher, from lover to a hater and from a friend to an enemy, everyone anticipates in one form or another.
It is said that those who are rich will never again know the pleasure of becoming rich, for the pleasure of anticipation are often greater than the pleasure realization. A poor man believes that money can buy him happiness, as money will allow him to fulfil his desires. So he devises different strategies and works hard to get rich. For such a person, getting rich is the objective of his life. So, he gets motivation form his objective and directs all his efforts in the fulfilment of his goal. When the person finally attains his goal i.e. when he gets rich, he fulfil all of his desires by spending money, but with the passage of time, he adopts to his new life and becomes used to the opulence. Thus, the person realises that for him, the actual happiness lied in anticipation, not in the realization.
Anticipation is usually considered better than retaliation because people imagine pleasant realizations. It is human nature to think about pleasant outcomes, no matter what ground facts may dictate. A politician will like to anticipate about his success in elections, a business man will anticipate about success of his business deal and a television host will like to anticipate about success of his show. Anticipating positive outcomes can increase motivation level and can compel a person to work hard. On the other hand, if a realization is not pleasant or according to a person’s expectation then it may result in depression, anxiety and lower the self-esteem of a person. Therefore, anticipating about positive outcomes is not bad, but it should be supported with hard work and required efforts should be put in to get realization of an individual’s liking.
Careful and conductive anticipation allows one to analyse the outcomes of one’s actions and decisions. Sometimes, people do not think enough before taking important decisions in life and consequently, they have to repent when things do not go as planned. For instance, a man, who is unable anticipate the consequences of his actions, may hit someone during a brawl over a petty issue. Consequently, he may rot in prison for the rest of his life. A person should never let go his ability to anticipate consequences of his action, no matter how tough the circumstances be.
War is where careful anticipation is needed the most. A politician or military leader, who is short-sighted and unable to anticipate the outcomes of his reaction, can put the survival if humanity in jeopardy. Careful anticipation by Hitler of the consequences of his decisions, could have avoided the loss of thousands of lives. The Soviet Union during the Soviet Afghan War (1979 to 1989), had not anticipated support of the United States to the Afghan Mujahedeen. As a result, the Soviet Union lost the war and it ultimately played a role in the subsequent dismemberment of the Soviet Union.
The terrorist, who attacked the World Trade Centre on September 9, 2001, were devoid of the ability to anticipate the consequences of their actions. Aside from the direct loss of lives on the American soil, the actions of the terrorists prompted the United States and her allies to initiate the War on Terror. This War on Terror has resulted in the further loss of thousands of civilians and soldiers in Afghanistan, Iraq and Pakistan.
Moreover, when the United States and her allies initiated the war on terror, they hand not anticipated that their engagement in Iraq would be futile with the discovery of the Weapons of Mass Destruction and that they will be bogged down in Afghanistan for fourteen years. Almost fifteen years have elapsed since the start of the War on Terror, but the war does not seem to be ending soon enough. Thanks to the sheer lack of anticipation on the part of the US and her allies, the world, at present, is facing a far bigger threat than Al-Qaeda in form of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS).
Criminals and murderers do not anticipate the consequences of their actions. Consequently, they cause a loss to human life and property. They have to bear the repercussions of their acts when they are caught and subsequently punished by the law. The ill-anticipated actions of criminals also affect their relatives and family members. Thus, useful anticipation can prevent crimes.
A student anticipates almost every day. A hardworking student, who has to appear in an exam, would anticipate about the final outcome of the hard work. In order to reduce anxiousness and to get a realization of his or her liking, a student may work even harder. Normally, hardworking students anticipate more as compared to those, who have not studied in the whole semester. Thus, for a painstaking student, anticipation provides impetus to study hard. However, if a student gets good grades, but not according to his or her anticipation, then realization for such a student will not be as good as the anticipation.
Lovers also anticipate. A lover would normally anticipate about the feelings and aspirations of one’s love interest. A lover is anxious to know that weather his or her affectionate feelings are acknowledged and reciprocated by the lover or not. Anticipation in such relationship raises feelings by giving pleasure and excitement. However, if a person realises that his feelings of love are not being acknowledged by his lover, then the consequences of such a realization could be devastating for the person.
People anticipate about events and occasions. For instance, Eid and Christmas raise anticipation among children. Children are delighted and anxious about a coming occasion like Eid or Christmas because of the joy associated with them and so, they engage in frivolous preparations. However, as soon as the Eid passes, the excitement of a child disappears. Therefore, for a child the anticipation of an event like Eid or Christmas is greater than its realization.
Similarly, a man and a woman planning to get married are anxious about the new phase of their lives. They Bride and groom are excited and happily make preparations for the big day. However, after the marriage as the newlywed couple settles down in their new life, the anticipation related to marriage dies out.
Every unemployed person eagerly wants a job. So an unemployed person will anticipate getting a job with an ideal salary, perks and privileges. Such a person will anticipate a perfect life after getting desired employment. However, more than often, when one finally gets a job of one’s choice, the burden of routine, strict deadlines, intense completion, office politics and a monotonous routine, mars the happiness of getting the job. It is then the person realizes that the joy of anticipating a lucrative career was greater than the joy of its realization.
In a nutshell, the joy of anticipation fascinates everyone, irrespective of age, gender and social status. Anticipation is a source of excitement and a tool to analyse the cost, losses and benefits of important decisions of life. Sometimes, excitement for things to come overwhelms a person so much that when those "things" become real, the person ends up disappointed. However, instead of being disappointed, one should set new goals and anticipate about simple things in life like a weekend trip and etc.