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RE: Chasing Illusions: Putting Material THINGS into the Hollow Space You Feel Inside Probably Won't Fill it!
Love your glorious sun-kissed autumn coloured leaves @denmarkguy You have given us plenty of food for thought in your post and have come to many of the same conclusions as I have in regards to man's constant search for happiness. I worked for an ultra rich couple, a few years ago who owned multiple houses, businesses, planes, boats, hotels etc........but in their quest to amass even more wealth they lost each other. There is much I could elaborate on here but what I found incredible is the lady of the house (not a home) told me one day that she constantly worried about loosing all her wealth. How tragically sad is that?
Very sad indeed, @trudeehunter. In the end, stuff is just "stuff." For many, the very process of acquisition serves as a distraction to keep them from thinking about what is actually missing from their lives. Instead, the quest to get a Rolex watch tries to fill the space that's actually filled by the desire to sit by a campfire with a friend and share stories. Unfortunately, we live in a society that tries to sell us on the idea that having "things" will make us happy.
Sad facts indeed, @denmarkguy Striving for wealth is a killer. We often hear the saying, "Enough is Enough!" But those remarks are generally referring to stress in our lives whether external or self-afflicted. We very rarely hear them spoken from a pursuer of wealth because 'Enough' was by-passed early in their journey for wealth and all its 'trappings.' Another over quoted saying is, "As long as you're happy. That's all that matters." But happiness is fleeting; the adrenaline rush from the acquiring of it lasts for such a short length of time. The goal posts for reaching 'Enough' and 'Happiness' are constantly widening. A decade ago my husband and I (after a lot of soul searching) gave away all our possessions to go to and teach English in China. I struggled with parting with the sentimental 'things' but took the pragmatic approach and got on with the business of planning our mid-life adventure together. It felt like a huge weight had been lifted from off our shoulders and the freedom of our hearts and spirits was energizing. We lived amongst the rich and the poor in China and we were constantly amazed to witness real happiness in the lives of those who existed on a meagre wage and lived in very crammed conditions. They knew the key to happiness was contentment and when we learn to be content with what we have, we give ourselves the best opportunity to live our best lives. We thought we were reasonably well off before we left home, even after unburdening ourselves of our material possessions. Our part time jobs were sufficient to live comfortably whilst working in China. (We went for the experience, not to build our bank accounts) So when it was time to come home after a wonderfully fulfilling and rewarding 12 months we knew we'd have to start over again financially. But we left China a very wealthy couple.