When asked to reflect on the quality of my current existence, I concluded that surely I was living a full life. In fact if the epitome of a full life was measured on a scale of one to ten (ten being the fullest one could possibly live) I estimate that I would be sitting comfortably at eight or nine even? That is however if living a full life was based on family status and personal contentment. If the scale was based only on belongings or (as Henry David Thoreou would put it) stuff, then my positioning might slide down a little towards the six-mark maybe.
We dream big here in America, and we want to set for ourselves and our children a great financial future. This however means we have to work very hard in the present and working very hard takes up a lot of time; time away from our family, our houses and our friends. I guess the point I am trying to make is that if we didn’t care so much about obtaining more things and owning stuff in the first place, then we would have more time to enjoy the things we have already acquired. This personal belief of mine was reiterated by the writings of Thoreou on his search for life fulfilment in the woods.
His two-year and two-month stay in a basic cabin near Walden Pond allowed him to realize that the source of joy and contentment was due to a multitude of factors, and belongings was not a primary contributor. He took up his residence at Walden Woods so as to "live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived."(Wikipedia) Over that period of time Thoreou concluded that the four material necessities of life included food, shelter, clothing, and fuel. All else contentment could be acquired through means other than belongings.
The times we live in however tell a different storey. Shelter in this generation comes in two and three stories, food is always supersized; fuel comes at a high cost and clothing is almost unnecessary. His findings may have been correct to that particular era (nineteenth century) but in this day and age it isn’t so easy to live so simply. Even the simple things can cost a fortune. E.F. Schumacher summarized this by saying "Any intelligent fool can make things bigger, more complex, and more violent. It takes a touch of genius - and a lot of courage - to move in the opposite direction." (Wikipedia)
No one can deny the comfort and aid certain possessions can provide how ever after reading the works of Thoreou, I now see his intention in telling us how stuff (and the status stuff gives us) can get in the way of living a life worth living. Our chase to keep up with the Jones’s has seen many Americans today work more than one job, owe billions in debt on credit and spend more time away from family life (or what’s left of it) than we have ever in our history. Our endeavours of acquiring things have seen us also acquire the stress of endeavouring the acquirement of things. This disorder is as complicated as it sounds.
I have deliberately constructed my life in a manner that sees me maintain a balance between work and time that is precious to me (family time). That does not mean that I am not guilty of working overtime and weekends, however in my household we set specific hours of the day and the week to do regular things that bring us the greatest enjoyment. It is true that it isn’t what you have that brings you happiness but more of whom you have to share it with instead. Thoreau’s experiences and writings have helped confirm what I originally believed (that less can always be more) however I have also come to realize that sometimes I don’t always put that belief into practice. Maybe the realistic answer is to find the balance that brings both aspects together and that I should work harder at maintaining this equilibrium (than growing it) for a happy life that is continual.
We dream big here in America, and we want to set for ourselves and our children a great financial future. This however means we have to work very hard in the present and working very hard takes up a lot of time; time away from our family, our houses and our friends. I guess the point I am trying to make is that if we didn’t care so much about obtaining more things and owning stuff in the first place, then we would have more time to enjoy the things we have already acquired. This personal belief of mine was reiterated by the writings of Thoreou on his search for life fulfilment in the woods.
His two-year and two-month stay in a basic cabin near Walden Pond allowed him to realize that the source of joy and contentment was due to a multitude of factors, and belongings was not a primary contributor. He took up his residence at Walden Woods so as to "live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived."(Wikipedia) Over that period of time Thoreou concluded that the four material necessities of life included food, shelter, clothing, and fuel. All else contentment could be acquired through means other than belongings.
The times we live in however tell a different storey. Shelter in this generation comes in two and three stories, food is always supersized; fuel comes at a high cost and clothing is almost unnecessary. His findings may have been correct to that particular era (nineteenth century) but in this day and age it isn’t so easy to live so simply. Even the simple things can cost a fortune. E.F. Schumacher summarized this by saying "Any intelligent fool can make things bigger, more complex, and more violent. It takes a touch of genius - and a lot of courage - to move in the opposite direction." (Wikipedia)
No one can deny the comfort and aid certain possessions can provide how ever after reading the works of Thoreou, I now see his intention in telling us how stuff (and the status stuff gives us) can get in the way of living a life worth living. Our chase to keep up with the Jones’s has seen many Americans today work more than one job, owe billions in debt on credit and spend more time away from family life (or what’s left of it) than we have ever in our history. Our endeavours of acquiring things have seen us also acquire the stress of endeavouring the acquirement of things. This disorder is as complicated as it sounds.
I have deliberately constructed my life in a manner that sees me maintain a balance between work and time that is precious to me (family time). That does not mean that I am not guilty of working overtime and weekends, however in my household we set specific hours of the day and the week to do regular things that bring us the greatest enjoyment. It is true that it isn’t what you have that brings you happiness but more of whom you have to share it with instead. Thoreau’s experiences and writings have helped confirm what I originally believed (that less can always be more) however I have also come to realize that sometimes I don’t always put that belief into practice. Maybe the realistic answer is to find the balance that brings both aspects together and that I should work harder at maintaining this equilibrium (than growing it) for a happy life that is continual.
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