A conversation with Captain Jack Sparrow
The secret life-hack to making decisions
There is a scene in Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End, where Captain Jack Sparrow has a brief conversation with his father, in a chaotic room filled with unruly pirates squabbling.
Jack: You've seen it all, done it all, you survived. That's the trick, isn't it? To survive?
Jack’s father (Captain Teague): Its not just about living forever, Jackie. The trick is, living with yourself forever.
Here is the clip:
This quick exchange may have been overlooked by many watching this classic movie, but there really is a very meaningful lesson here.
And that is, making decisions that yield life-long satisfaction. In other words, thinking in the long-term rather than in the short-term.
In any given day, we are faced with choices. Some choices give us immediate gratification, while others instead may demand us to wait, in order to benefit in the long run.
For kids, it may be a simple marshmallow test. For adults, it may be a test with more serious consequences.
A great life-hack when standing face-to-face with these choices, is to remind yourself of these words: “The trick is, living with yourself forever.”
Is the choice you’re about to make one that will contribute to your long-term happiness and wellbeing, or is it one that may give you gratification in this moment, but be something that impacts your ability to be happy and live in peace down the line?
Imagine if we actually discovered a fountain of youth, that if that if drank from, makes you live forever. Forever is a long time. For some, drinking this water would be the greatest punishment of all. A life filled with regret of the choices they made that impact their ability not to live forever, but to live well forever.
A life centered around growth, is a life that keeps the long-term in focus. This doesn’t mean not living in the moment or letting loose and having a good time. It means doing these things while being sure to keep the end goal in mind: living with yourself, forever.