More or Less? Examining the Ambition to Have "The Right Amount" in Life

Even though slavery has been abolished for a very long time there are people who would argue that in these modern times we are actually still under the influence of various types of indentured servitude, in this case it is "wage slavery."

I recognize that this might not be a welcome topic for some people, and I apologize in advance to those who might feel uncomfortable reading these words.

Personally I think we are also beholden to a false paradigm of economics. That is we have become trapped in the idea of striving for eternal growth. But if you sit down and think about it logically do you really need forever more and more of some given commodity?

Think about it a little bit more deeply. Assuming — for example — that business and the economy are supposed to grow at 5% a year... if you're currently drinking two cups of coffee in the morning are you really going to need to drink six cups of coffee in the morning 20 years from now ? If you look at the statement from that perspective it makes no sense whatsoever, does it?

And yet we relentlessly pursue growth as if it's the only thing that's worth having in the world.

The world revolves largely around the idea that we can "have it all," and that "more is better." This is actually a little bit ironic because we typically like to talk about people's quality of life, not their quantity of life.

I would submit that the relentless pursuit of "more" is actually a fairly toxic idea, particularly in the long run, and what we should really be striving for is having the right amount, as I alluded to in yesterday's post.

I started in a little bit on this idea in my previous post, and wanted to continue exploring this idea of what the right amount actually looks like. I'd submit that most of us have not actually sat down and given that topic much thought, because we're always guided by the pursuit of more!

Historically, we have viewed the alternative to wanting more through the lens of perception that we should be satisfied with enough. But — just like the right amount — enough is also a rather ambiguous and hard to nail down quantity.

What does "enough" look like, for you?

To be honest, I have always been if relatively poor "consumer," especially by the standards used here in the USA. Everything here seems terribly materially oriented, and people's success is to a great degree measured by their material wealth. Very few people stopped to contemplate such things as life contentment, happiness, and the simple idea of just having the freedom to be your own person.

Growing up in Denmark, I was raised with the idea that things like friends and family were more important than wealth.

When I look at "the right amount" it seems to be fairly modest, by most measures: Comfortable shelter — nothing special — ability to pay basic bills, healthcare, transportation and food without financial worry, maybe a holiday a year and enough left over to pursue a simple hobby.

But that's just me.

Thanks for stopping by, and have a great week ahead!

How about you? Have you actually had a chance to thoroughly consider what YOUR version of "enough" looks like? Leave a comment if you feel so inclined — share your experiences — be part of the conversation!

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Created at 2024.07.08 01:05 PDT
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