Don’t make continuation the goal. What are the conditions for survival in any era?

"Are you making a website?"

America. New York.
I was working in a cafe when the man next to me suddenly started talking to me.
Indeed, my Mac was displaying a website in progress.
I immediately thought that there was no privacy whatsoever.

When I affirmed, his eyes suddenly lit up and he asked me many things.
How many years have you been doing it? What kind of things have you made so far? What are you good at?
They say technology transcends language, and I don't mind being questioned about my specialty.
I myself wanted to know what creators in the home of America were thinking.

The man was an engineer.

He said he could do everything from website programming to app development.
However, it seems he's completely hopeless at design.

Listening to him, the thought crossed my mind that we might be a good match.
Then, he pressed in on me with incredible force and uttered an outrageous remark.

"Let's work on a project together!"

It was unexpected to find someone to work with in a cafe.
I thought this was a challenge, so I made up my mind and decided to take the plunge.

When I asked, the job was to create a website for a certain company.

It didn't seem that complicated, and it looked like it wouldn't take much time.
From the next day, I decided to go to a nearby co-working space and work for a few days.

The work itself finished surprisingly smoothly.

I don't think Japanese designers are that branded, but apparently, when I said a Japanese designer made it, the client found it interesting and liked it.

I was taken aback, wondering if such a thing could happen, but if they were satisfied, then it's a good thing.

Later, the engineer I worked with took me to a bar.
Apparently, it was his recommended bar, but I couldn't remember the way at all.

I was also introduced to some of his friends.
They were really fun people.

After drinking for a while, he brought up a consultation with me.

Apparently, he's contemplating quitting his current engineering job and moving to San Francisco.
He hasn't found a job in San Francisco yet; he plans to look for one.
He said his current life was stable, and he thought it would be good if it continued this way.
However, he still has a strong desire within himself to go to San Francisco.

If he stays in New York, he can continue to do good work indefinitely.
His life would be secure, he would get married, have children, and live happily with his beloved girlfriend.
So I replied that if there wasn't a clear reason for him to 'want to go,' then New York would be fine.
He only wanted to go to San Francisco to challenge himself, but there was nothing beyond that.

But he was hesitant.

He poured the alcohol down his throat and ordered another drink.
And when the next drink was brought, he muttered a single word.

"I hate it when continuing becomes the goal, and I can no longer challenge myself."

I see, that's quite profound.
Indeed, that applies to everything.

For example, by thinking too much about our current lifestyle, we might become unable to try new ideas.
Like a company that has become complacent with its current state, we might end up repeating the same work forever.

Once anyone steps into that, they become afraid to let go.

What's more, life is only once.
That's precisely why he was trying to stop himself just short of that point.

Personally, I had thought that many Americans had clearly defined visions.
But seeing someone like this, I somehow felt a sense of closeness.

Indeed, if things continued as they were, his secure life seemed to be laid out before him.
It means he didn't want to deliberately go to a place where the destination was already visible.
He wanted to have adventures, whether in work or anything else.

Continuity can sometimes yield tremendous results.
Moreover, continuity is the path to all success.
However, it's slightly different from continuity becoming the goal.
Evolution stops unless continuity is for the purpose of achieving or challenging something.

The times are constantly evolving, moving further and further ahead.
The world isn't so lenient that you can survive by merely maintaining the status quo.

In that sense, his decision might be a step towards building future stability.

We parted ways without achieving any results on the spot.
However, his will seemed to have already been decided before consulting me.
Sometimes people try to solidify their resolve by confirming it with someone.

A few days later, he informed me that he would be relocating to San Francisco.
Hearing his report, I also vowed that I must live a life 'to create the future'.