Diminished returns

I've written a couple of times about finishing my bachelor's degree, so yesterday, when my diploma arrived in the mail, it was kind of anticlimactic. Events like this often make me think about the relationship between anticipation and actuality.

One of my favorite quotes defines this dichotomy succinctly: “There is no terror in the bang, only in the anticipation of it.” Alfred Hitchcock said that, but the poignant use of the quote I’ve witnessed was in Afghanistan. This quote was written large on the inside of one of the port-o-johns scattered about our camp. And its truth was quickly evident by the second or third rocket attack you lived through. The idea of the rocket attack was scary. The actual thing was annoying. You had to get up, get on your gear, take cover and/or man a checkpoint. You realized that if you heard the rocket, if you got up, then everything was OK. Our enemy there never launched more than one at a time.

Think about the number of times you’ve talked up a date, a concert a movie or a meal. Regardless of our pessimism or cynicism in dealing with most other things, the minute we anticipate something, we’ve only set ourselves up for a diminished return. Rather than sweetening the pot, it salts the wound.

But why? Why does reality sour in comparison to our expectations?

It is a mixed blessing, of course. In the case of the rocket attacks, it lets you know keep working free from much anxiety. In the case of receiving my actual diploma, it’s bittersweet.

I wonder if we have lost some of our capacity to wait for the event -- to wait for the actual event rather than ruin it with false hope? Or perhaps the quality of services and products aren’t living up to the hype surrounding them.

I don’t know what the conclusion here is. Maybe I should just get my head out of the clouds.