The Grand Illusion

The common denomintor among all living human beings is the desire to own as many material treasures as one can amass in a single lifetime. While this can be rather challenging experience if one is up to it, the passion for acquiring tangible items can also be a trying experience of intensive-care proportions.
Many of us, at one time or another, envies those who belong the super rich category. We think they "have arrived", "have made it", "have touched base" or "simply have nothing to worry about".
How I wish I could agree with all those notions. If wealth is the factor that determines happiness or peace of mind, then only the rich will have those qualities. Strangely, a lot of rich folks are seldom happy. Most of the time, they are worried about losing their money or how to keep it a secret.
Thus, the purpose of this life is to find out the secret of a meaningful eartly existence, and NOT how to get rich in the shortest time possible. If we think in the latter, then we will join the majority in the unhappy camp.
Thus, it is all a grand illusion. I mean this pursuit of fame and fortune. Yes, it can be quite thrilling to buy anything you want, go anywhere you want and live anywhere you desire. But surely, we humans are born for nobler things. How many superduper toys do you want to make you happy?
If you think about it seriously, most of us are quite infantile in our wants. Our needs are limited. We need food, shelter, a bed, some money and a few other minor stuff.
Basically, the ordinary human being is greedy. We are seldom satisfied. Many of us are conditioned by society without realising it. Most of us don't need a million dollars but we want it nevertheless. Forget the fact that most of us actually don't deserve it. We think we do but we don't. That is a moral issue, of course.
Therefore, the grand illusion of life is that we human beings need all those big cars, huge houses, beautiful clothese, fantastic families to achieve happiness. Truth be told, these are all perishable stuff, much like vegetables. Ask yourself, how many plates of vegetables can you consume in a single sitting.
I also have heard of the line, "I have been rich and I have been poor. It's better to be rich." It's a nice line to use during a conversation because it seems to have some semblance of truth in it.
The enlightened ones among us will reserve judgment on this one because to comment would be to invite a reply or rebuttal. Either of which won't contribute anything beneficial to the conversation.
So next time when you are browsing through a brochure of beautiful things, ask yourself what do you already have in your drawers, cupboard or storeroom. Also, don't forget to check how many of the things you have bought that you actually use.
If you are like those people who buy for fun and forget to use the items they have purchase, it's time to re-assess your priorities. It's really no fun to buy, buy and buy. After a while, it can become a mini obsession. By then, it's no longer funny.
The last that I want to pen here is: Take what you need and nothing more.





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