When we stop thoughtless buying we focus neither on things we’ve bought in the past, or things we would like to buy in the future. No longer do we waste precious life moments thinking about getting more so we can buy more. We exist entirely in the present moment, in a state of simply being ourselves.
We start to enjoy being more when we cease having to fulfill each and every desire that clouds our minds. After a while, the clouds of desire diminish, and we seek only to mindfully meet basic needs in the here and now.
This sets us free to enjoy our Self, our spirit, our own inner beauty and the beauty of the natural world.
With our altered awareness of what wanting and buying really means for us personally, we are able to enjoy birds singing and the smell of flowers on the breeze at a much deeper level.
We have eliminated being bombarded by the mindless desires and thoughtless buying that assails our awareness and pollutes our attention in a regular consumer existence.
When we halt thoughtless buying, a good thing happens - we become more of ourselves. We are free of the confusion, misery, and struggle of consumer life.
Ultimately, nothing is left to distract us from the simple joys of existence, and we find that they are enough.
Gregg, these thoughts resonate very much with me. For a while after I stopped buying 'stuff' I still had that gnawing sensation of 'needing' things and would gaze longingly into shop windows, but slowly, over time, that heart hole of neediness has healed over, and now I am experiencing heart wholeness instead. I don't need a single thing any more, other than what I already have. As you say, every beautiful, free gift that the earth offers is a joy. My purchases are very few and far between; I buy food and pay my bills, and the mind space that is freed up by not 'needing; anything else is priceless.
ReplyDeleteJo,
DeleteAs you point out, it is possible to heal after a nasty bout of consumeritis. That is such good news, and it deserves to be shared far and wide. Like in your blog ("All the Blue Day", on our sidebar, or here: http://alltheblueday.blogspot.com).