Enough

At what point do you say "I have enough"? 

Our culture teaches us that to be successful is to have more and more and more.  Strangely enough it's often the case that the more someone has the more they want.  Their "need" becomes insatiable.

More house.
More land.
More money.
More possessions.
More clothes.
More shoes.
More books.
More overseas holidays.
More, more, more.



It's been said by wise men and women for millennia that this is the worst kind of poverty there is, a constant need for more, the inability to ever be satisfied.  

It is an unending ravenous appetite, one I equate with an addiction.

To be rich is to be satisfied with what you have.  At what point do you say "I have enough"? Enough money, enough house, enough land, enough shoes, enough stuff, enough everything.

Human material needs in their truest form are really fairly simple.  We can as easily live in a one-room cabin in the woods as in a palace or mansion.  Personally I would rather live in the one room cabin in the woods, a home which would not only meet my material needs but feed my soul.

And perhaps therein lies the revelation.  We are trying to feed our souls with things which do not satisfy them - more house, more shoes, more money, more and more of the wrong things.  It doesn't matter how much we put in if it's the wrong thing. That's like trying to run a motorcar on orange juice - pouring more and more orange juice into the petrol tank just won't help.  Instead you'll end up with a mess of orange juice.

We can say "enough" of the wrong things.  We can stop the madness of wanting more and more of that which does not truly satisfy us.   That allows us to ponder, seek and find that which fills us, which gives our lives real meaning and real joy.
 
It seems this can often be discovered in our own creativity and the simplest things - it was not the big things after all.  It was the little things.  Baking our own bread.  Growing our own herbs. Keeping our own chickens.  Sitting in the sun with a good book. Enjoying a simple picnic with friends.

A popular saying says "less is more".  Another way to look at it is "more is less"  - more house but less peace, more possessions but less good health, more money but less time to spend with your loved ones.  At some point "more" has the capacity to consume us and all of our freedom - all of our life.

Knowing when to call "enough" is a skill it seems we all must learn to be truly happy and fulfilled.

 We need to know when we've had enough.

Sometimes you just need to chill.