Friday was the 40th anniversary of Apple’s founding. A milestone. A time for reflection on the road that led to now. An opportunity to look at the possibilities of the future.

The news report I watched did look at the achievements of the past. But there was also something else. A look at the future, yes, but a particular sort of look to the future that dismisses what has already been achieved. The sort of thing that’s done with a shake of the head and a sigh that implies the person is saying, “Yeah, that’s all well and good but can you do it again?”

What the report actually said was that Apple must now prove it can keep innovating in order to continue growing for the next 40 years. It’s not that the question is invalid or can’t be asked. It’s the context of the question. Throwing it in at the end of the report, as a throw away statement, implies that Apple are screwed. It’s the same as congratulating a married couple on their first wedding anniversary and implying, without evidence, that they’ll be divorced by their second anniversary. “Congratulations to them, but will they be married this time next year?”

To me that’s a real indictment of our way of thinking as a society. We no longer take a moment to enjoy what’s been achieved. Instead we look back and say “Great, but it’s not really good enough is it? What you’ve done in the past doesn’t matter. It’s only what you do next that matters”. Except when it comes to that next thing it’s not good enough either. So that in the end nothing is ever good enough. It’s the kind of outlook that denies us satisfaction with our lives and achievements. As a society or as individuals.

That doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t look to the future, or that we can’t set goals. Not at all. It simply means that as individuals we need to learn to take the time to enjoy a milestone before moving onto planning for the next one. Hopefully society will follow.