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| You can't buy this in any store for any amount of money. |
Life requires that the living consume things. In that regard, humans are consumers, even if we don't shop. When we can't get the things that we need and really want, we transfer our desires and consume other things. Habits set in, and we forget about what it was that we wanted in the first place. A downward spiral ensues.
Look around. Is all this what we really want? Are our homes, garages, basements and storage lockers filled with things that truly make our lives better? Has our record level of consumption created a global society we are proud of? Does our health reflect the health of our institutions and environment?
Maybe what we have been told we should want isn't what we need to be getting.
What do we want? Really, really want? Cheap plastic crap? Packaged holidays? Uninspiring work? Big Brother looking over our shoulder? A giant bank account? I don't think so. These are all pale replacements for our real heart's yearnings.
When we can't get these needs fulfilled, we turn to less attractive alternatives. Addictive substances and situations, like TV, movies, video games, shopping, and competitive travel make us feel something for a while, but like any drug, we develop a tolerance with repeated use.
We need more of the same to get a kick. Pretty soon we need an infinite amount just to feel normal. That is because what we are getting is not what we need, or want deep inside.
What we really, really want is love. We want to have a higher purpose. Humanity wants to feel harmony with each other and with nature. To express ourselves emotionally, creatively and spiritually. To be touched, held, and groomed. To belong to a supportive community. To contribute to the well-being of the world.
That is what I think we really want, and you can't buy that stuff anywhere.
As we are remembering our primal urges, and getting what we really want and need, everything else is changing. The flimsy substitutes have a hold on us no longer. Our habits are changing, and the world is changing with us.
Great post and in particular I liked this sentence: "Humanity wants to feel harmony with each other and with nature." Very true words indeed. -- Mary
ReplyDeleteThanks for this mid-week encouragement. Sometimes it's helpful to hear from someone with similar priorities.
ReplyDeleteWhat do we really want is a very good question. One that I've been asking myself a lot lately. Sometimes I answer with what I don't want as I'm often more sure of that. At times it is difficult to name what I really really want as it appears to be impossible to achieve. So my answer is self-censored in an attempt to get it more realistic and in the realm of what's possible.
ReplyDeleteLove the photo.
I like to think that nothing is impossible to achieve. Think big thoughts. That self-censor is a harsh task master. It might be trying to keep us safe, or it might be trying to hold us back. Having said that, we are limited at every turn by the culture we live in. Transcending that is a monumental task.
DeleteI really appreciate your comments. You are so right about self censorship.
DeletePerhaps the monetary system we live in is most challenging to get around or reckon with. I'm finding it is what stops me from fully answering the question what do I really want. Thank you always for such thought-full remarks.