There’s a big misconception that we need money and things to be happy. I beg to differ. Yes, we need money to cover our basic needs, but only enough to cover expenses and pay for experiences, and we need to be happy in our thoughts before they manifest in reality. The get-rich schemes we created and corrupted our thoughts with are unhealthy. They have never been a good idea. What makes us happy is what we think.
We’ve become over-consuming, natural resource plundering, Mother Earth polluting criminals. Yes, I said criminals. When you infringe on the rights of others, and that includes Mother Earth, you are performing immoral, criminal acts. I’m part of the problem. At least, I was for the last six decades because I was taught to think wrong. I perpetuated old archaic ideas.
I’ve discovered I can get along quite nicely without technology, material wealth, and just enough money to meet my basic needs. I’ve stopped buying shit for instant gratification. I’ve stopped buying shit to display my net worth. I’ve stopped buying shit that will last a month or two and started buying things that will help me prolong my life and look after my body.
I’ve stopped being a loner and started meeting people with like-minded, Mother Earth-supportive thinking. Instead of buying the next best smartphone, computer, car, or whatever, I’m investing in relationships and creating events people can enjoy and learn from. I’m trying to build a community of people who help each other. Not because they want to get paid but because they want to help. Creating events that aren’t simply entertainment; they’re gatherings to come up with solutions to our challenges. They’re events that are fun and invigorating. They are events that get people to think and express their creativity. They are events to connect people and find fulfilling ways to live life instead of eking out an existence.
Smartphones and our technology have ripped social interaction away from us. We used to gather in groups to learn from each other, to talk and share experiences and jokes. We’ve forgotten what it’s like to be human. It’s in our DNA to socialize. Our technology is a fantastic thing, but I believe it is the most significant contributor to a thing labelled ADHD. I’m not a physician or psychologist, but I know that my ability to focus on something has radically diminished over the years. I can sit still for brief periods, but the habit of being entertained and needing to sit in front of an electronic screen seems to be the most important thing to my body. I feel very uncomfortable when I don’t get a YouTube fix. It’s so bad that when I get overwhelmed at work or need a break for a few minutes, I don’t take a break; I pick up the phone and mindlessly surf not so social media or YouTube instead of reading a book or doing something constructive like creating an event. Covid has undoubtedly exacerbated the issue. The internet, as great an invention as it is, has been the most significant contributor, in my opinion, to distracted thinking.
I beg parents to get out of the habit of giving infants a smartphone to entertain them when they are fussy. Play a game with them. Take them to the park. Tell stories on a long road trip and encourage them to use their creative imagination! Schools will take their ability to imagine beautiful things away soon enough. Parents should encourage creative thinking even if their fantasies are crazy ones. Let them have them because out of crazy fantasies come great things.
Material things are ok to have, but how much is enough? I know that business owners love to have a lavish life. Filled with toys and being entertained, they work to make more money for themselves. But what about the human assets that they employ? They’re the ones making money for them. How much do you invest in those people? With the current archaic business model, most of them work a J.O.B. Just Over Broke. They barely have enough to meet their needs because the owners, investors, and shareholders need their pockets lined. It’s a lousy business model.
You’re not necessarily successful if you have a lot of stuff. Material things create an appearance only. I think the most successful people give freely and accept graciously. They are the people I want to hang out with.
Don’t buy shit. The novelty will wear thin. The expense of maintaining stuff and appearances will cause illness. Help others become wealthy; your wealth has no direction to go but up. When you are naked, you have lost the disguises and are being natural. The stress of maintaining an appearance is gone. The joy of helping others emerges. Fulfilment and naked natural existence re-emerge. It’s the way we were thousands of years ago, and it can be the same again if we learn to think and love to help each other.
Comments