No one on their death bed wishes that they had spent more time shopping on the internet, or anywhere else (except maybe the garden center). No one wishes they spent more time at work, so they could get more money, so they could spend more time shopping. When we stop to think about our brief time above ground here on this beautiful planet, shopping for entertainment loses its appeal.
At any stage of life there is precious little time for us to engage in the activities that truly matter to us. Such activities would be those that lead to us becoming better humans, and those pursuits which help to make the world a better place.
I like to consider as much as I can when deciding whether I need to shop for something right now, at a later date, or at all. Will buying that thing, or doing that thing, make me a better person? Will it make the world a better place?
If not, why bother? Why waste the time, effort and money when there are so many more important things to be done? As King Canute said to his courtiers, "Time and tide wait for no one." Today he might say, "Let all people know how empty and worthless is the power of consumerism, for there is none worthy of the name, but Nature."
While no one about to die wishes they had bought more stuff to cram into that already stuffed garage, here are a few things that they do tend to think about as their life comes to an end.
On their deathbed people tend to:
If not, why bother? Why waste the time, effort and money when there are so many more important things to be done? As King Canute said to his courtiers, "Time and tide wait for no one." Today he might say, "Let all people know how empty and worthless is the power of consumerism, for there is none worthy of the name, but Nature."
While no one about to die wishes they had bought more stuff to cram into that already stuffed garage, here are a few things that they do tend to think about as their life comes to an end.
On their deathbed people tend to:
- Wish they spent more time with family and friends.
- Wish they spent less time working.
- Wish they never started a bucket list.
- Wish they spoke more honestly about how they felt.
- Wish they chose to be happier and laughed more.
- Wish they never sold their soul, and entire lives, to the system.
The clock is ticking. How will we choose to spend what time remains to us?
I find number 3 on the list interesting. I'm hearing more about bucket lists and wondering. didn't think about it being something people might wish they hadn't done. Glad though. It seems to me that putting things on a list like that gets people moving like they are accomplishing a goals list. If I did that, I would miss the experience or at least part of it. Better for me to just do things that I need to do for survival and enjoying things as they come along rather than pursuing things on a bucket list.
ReplyDeleteTerri,
DeleteI suspect the big push for bucket list fulfillment over the past few years has less to do with personal growth and more with big business selling more goods and services. An interesting bucket list would be one that could be fulfilled for free.
And I wonder - how many people put "enlightenment" on their bucket list?
Then as you mention, there is something to be said for being fully present in the moment and living spontaneously. Why make happiness and contentment contingent on completing an arbitrary list? Or is such a list ever completed? It is kind of like shopping - you are never done. Happiness is always one more purchase away.
Agree Terri, no need for bucket lists for me. Just being satisfied with "what is" is enough.
ReplyDeleteMiss Marla,
DeleteI am agreeing with both of you. "What is" is good and beautiful and timeless and infinite. Always chasing more is a fools game that is profitable for the sellers, but not necessarily for the buyers.
Great post Gregg. I agree. It's good to have goals but there's much to be said for being content in the moment. I feel like I've mastered this pretty well, as in I want for very little. However I'm now working on being more intentional and deliberate with my time and how I spend it. To this end I said goodbye to Fakebook and other time suckers and have largely disconnected from the internet in general (aside from a handful of sites including this one & a banking one. ..apparently banking with a real human being is significantly more expensive to me as a customer! :-/ )
ReplyDeleteI just came to the realisation that it's ok to not have the answer immediately at my fingertips, and it was ok to not have a smart phone attached to me ' just in case'. I'm at the low end of techy stuff anyway but even so. ... there's something to be said for having enough, knowing enough and just being enough as I am :)
"The clock is ticking." - haha, I often have the same thing appearing in my mind. I keep asking myself: "would I buy this or work more to buy it if I had 1 month of life left?". No way! It is not worth it.
ReplyDelete