Friday, October 16, 2009

Wanting more

I travel quite a lot these days and I watch people, observe the world, I realise I want more than I have and I seem to be eternally unhappy. As soon as I get what I desired it is not enough and I want more, and wants I get that more, guess what? I want even more.
At the moment I am trying to teach myself to be happy with what I have. It is crucial that in this world filled with consumerist propaganda, we - the citizens of the world, should learn to appreciate what we have rather than constantly focus on what we want.
Of course, generally wanting more is a good thing, that pushes us forward. After all had Marie Curie given up after getting her degree in chemistry because it was enough, she would have never ended up being the first woman to receive the Nobel Prize. So yes we should want more, but I think we need to focus our want more on the non-material things, like self improvement, education, spiritual development, health, happiness, family balance, even work and the list could go on and on. Whereas if we are constantly focusing on the fact that we want that latest phone or the newest computer we are never going to be happy with the new object we got two weeks ago, because there is always going to be something newer and better. We should and need to want more of those things that can not be bought, as often in life they end up being of far greater value than anything that can be purchased.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

No argument here :)

Much Blessy Carra

Anonymous said...

Wonderful post and blog!

Richard said...

There is a tendency to want ot keep acquiring. My move to Madrid was very sobering in that respect. You cannot imagine how much stuff I got rid off (donated, sold, threw away) - it never seemed to end.

I think part of the problem is packing things away (which Sofia is very good at). If all the stuff we had, was at hand, then there would be less incentive to buy something new because there is no room for it.

So far, I have managed to resist making purchases in Madrid, mostly because I have no income and so I need to conserve the money we have, not draw it down. My need for "stuff" has also gone down. When I look at "stuff" I would have previously bought with little thought, I now think how much I really don't need it.

Another help is to ask myself if it will help me with my goals at hand. Will it help me write? Will it help me use my trademark? Will it really improve my quality of life - or am I only going to use it once or twice (think deep fat fryer and juicer)?

sg said...

Glad to hear that Janum!

Thank you so much Couture de Papier.

Richard I do agree with you. I know what you mean when you say about the move to Madrid being a sobering experience. I remember when I first left home at 18 for indefinite period of time I had to pack only the essential and the most valuable (mostly emotionally) stuff into big bag. That was hard. Then 6 years later of wondering a lot around Europe acquiring and losing and being robbed, I end up living out of a very small suitcase, because I am sent around the country so much at work I can not be bothered to carry lots of stuff anymore.

As for resisting purchases that is the hardest thing for me. I still forget that I am poor half the time!

Richard said...

I think if you had thrown out as much stuff as I had, you might have a different perspective. Or it could be age. I am 43 after all, slowing down and all that ...

CG said...

Maybe, after so many travels I have learned that almost anything is disposable, I do not have more than would fit into an estate car. That means all of our family's belongings. Now a lot of people would struggle to beat that!

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