A Great Gatsby Kind-a-Life
The Illusive Green Light We’re Still Striving Toward
We are almost a hundred years from the initial publication date of The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald (1925), and the book's contents are still amazingly relevant today. The green light Jay Gatsby peered and longed for across the water at the edge of the dock of his beloved Daisy’s home still speaks to the American Dream, hope and despair, and illusions versus reality.
Our Dream
“Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgastic future that year by year recedes before us. It eluded us then, but that’s no matter — tomorrow we will run faster, stretch out our arms farther…. And one fine morning — So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.”
The green light is such a great symbol of the American Dream, and upon reflection on my own life, I, too, realize the mental masturbation that happens over what many of us want to describe as “forward-thinking.” Or the infinity treadmill we choose to get on daily for our entire lives to pursue a dream that will almost always stay out of reach. Why?
For many, the dream is always about more, not about enough.
Our Hope
But the green light of Mr. Gatsby’s longing isn’t just about the dream of the future. No, it’s also about his attachment to the past.
“Can’t repeat the past?…Why of course you can!”
Nostalgia plays a role in our lives and complicates our future because our minds have not let go of what we believe should have been. We hold tightly to a fantasy that weaves an elaborate image of a future that lives only in our minds.
I believe there are lessons to be learned from the past, but grasping too tightly to the lesson only fatigues one's perception of the present moment.
Some lessons are hard-fought and even harder to learn. I’ve found that sometimes we don’t even understand the complexity of the experience, and for that reason, we must continue to let life unfold in front of us.
This brings to mind the old Taoist parable of the Old Man and the Horse.
Once upon a time, there was an old man who lived in a village. He was very poor, but he owned a beautiful horse. Even though the horse was worth a lot of money, the old man never sold it, despite many offers.
One day, the horse ran away. The villagers came to the old man, expressing their sympathy. “What bad luck!” they said. The old man simply replied, “We’ll see.”
A few days later, the horse returned, bringing with it a herd of wild horses. The villagers were amazed at the man’s good fortune and exclaimed, “How wonderful!” Again, the old man replied, “We’ll see.”
The old man’s son began to train the wild horses, but while doing so, he was thrown from one of them and broke his leg. The villagers came once more to offer their sympathy. “What a tragedy!” they said. The old man, as usual, responded, “We’ll see.”
A few weeks later, a war broke out in the region, and all the young men in the village were called up to fight. However, because of his injury, the old man’s son was exempt from going to war. The villagers, now realizing the old man’s wisdom, came to him and said, “Your son may be crippled, but at least he is safe. What a blessing!” And the old man replied, “We’ll see."
Our lives are far too intricate and confusing to label events as good or bad. The experiences of our lives are best just labeled experiences, appreciating them all.
Our Despair
The irony of Gatsby's dream of being with his beloved Daisy is that when it came to fruition, the moment didn’t lend itself well to the buildup that had proceeded.
It had seemed as close as a star to the moon. Now it was again a green light on a dock. His count of enchanted objects had diminished by one.
Life has a way of keeping those enchanted objects out in front of you and unfortunately, the high of arriving at that moment never matches the fantasy of how great life will be once you’ve obtained it.
So, instead of understanding the unnecessary pain we put ourselves through by projecting a glorious future, we double down on it and say to ourselves, “But this next aspiration is going to change everything!”
We continue searching for Fool’s Gold rather than appreciating what’s precious is the moment we’re in, not the nostaglic past or the unpredictable future, they’re just illusions.
Our Reality
We all have a green light. For some of us, it’s wealth and success; for others, it’s peace and tranquility; and for others, it’s something altogether different. The tragedy of the green light is not that it eludes us but that we believe its attainment will finally bring us peace.
Yet, the truth is, our green light is an apparition, a mirage that fades as we approach. The real challenge is not in catching it but in realizing that it will never make us whole. The peace we seek lies not in the distant dream but in the present moment — in accepting life’s ebb and flow with grace. When success is defined not by a far-off dream but by finding fulfillment in each moment, we release ourselves from the cycle of hope and despair. The need to strive fades, and the peace we long for is suddenly within reach.
If you enjoyed this piece, I’d be grateful for some claps and a follow. Your support helps me keep writing and sharing more content that resonates. Thank you for being part of the journey!
