What Does it Mean to "Have Enough?"

These days, people talk a lot about us moving towards an ”age of prosperity,” particularly with respect to being involved in blockchain, decentralization and cryptocurrency.

Without a doubt, prosperity is a great idea.

But what exactly does it mean to be prosperous? And does prosperity necessarily mean having money? Is prosperity the same thing as being rich? Beyond that, assuming that we do want prosperity, what does ”enough” look like?

The idea of enough is often what you might call a ”hot potato” subject. Most people seem to think they have some kind of grip on what enough looks like but it's also a topic that makes them feel uncomfortable, at the same time.

We may still want almost infinite riches while recognizing that "enough" is a far more modest wealth level.

As I wrote previously, or adult children were visiting from Seattle this past weekend... including our son-in-law who is a heating and air conditioning technician. When our heater broke this past winter he was very helpful and getting us heat again.

Anyway, while he was here this time he inspected our central heat/air system and determined that there is a high likelihood that we will very soon need to put in a new heating system for our house. Estimated cost: $6,000-$8,000.

Faced with that sort of potential outlay, I can say that in this moment we definitely don't have ”enough.” And I don't mean that we don't have $8,000 in the bank, I mean that our cost of living versus our income is such that there's no way in hell we would be able to save up that kind of money in anything less than three or four years… which I think constitutes not having enough.

On the other hand, it could just as easily be argued that we have more than enough because we live in a fairly sizable house in a nice area and many people in our situation and at our age might well have to make do with a very small and crowded apartment in a not so nice area.

So, once again, we get back to examining what "enough" looks like… and, specifically, what enough looks like in the context of this supposed new age of prosperity.

Again, any direct answer is a bit vague. Nobody would expect enough to simply jump out of the skies because we wish it to be so, so instead we get to view it in the context of how much effort is reasonable to put into the process of making sure that you have enough?

For example, should going to work and doing something productive for 8 hours a day five days a week create enough income for somebody to be able to live? And just how much should a basic sort of income afford a person, in life?

These are good questions, all... and with few — if any — clear cut answers. And yet? If we are moving towards "An Age of Prosperity," it's a conversation we all need to have.

Thanks for reading, and have a great week!

How about YOU? Do you have what feels like "enough?" What do you think constitutes a basic "enough" in our modern world? Where could we do better, and where have we already succeeded? Do leave a comment — share your experiences — be part of the conversation!

(All text and images by the author, unless otherwise credited. This is ORIGINAL CONTENT, created expressly for this platform — NOT A CROSSPOST!!!)
Created at 20220410 23:55 PDT
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