“Nothing is enough for the man to whom enough is too little.” —Epicurus
The prevailing ideas of success and survival have limited our experience of the existence to the obsession of hoarding resources and other stuff for future security. The chronic preoccupation with this impulsive habit comes from the incomplete and incorrect knowledge accumulated as culture and traditions in society over generations.
It isn’t evil to desire to have enough for oneself and family, to work for the well-being and desired comfort. Nature has already provided enough resources for 7.5 billion people and it can sustain the requirements of more than 10 billion people as some researchers suggest. But it is important to realize that anything that we do not consume but retain, is wastage. Hoarding has no place in nature.
Being blinded by the religion of growth, human beings are depriving other human beings of food, shelter and other resources. Excessive accumulation by one group has led to the deprivation for other groups in the society and at the same time disturbed the natural balance.
The ideas of growth and individual success will always leave everyone wanting for more, no matter how much they have. The problem is our society and culture have shifted from the philosophy of ‘prosperity’ to the philosophy of ‘wastage’ and philosophy of ‘competition’.
The societal custom of hoarding is resulting in competitive struggle between people, societies, and nations, pushing the human race in futile hardship. People are wasting their precious existence in securing the material possessions.
“It is important to understand the word “Enough.”
Most of us already own enough. We have enough to ensure the well-being of ourselves and those who are dependent on us. The excess that we hoard is born out of scarcity mindset, from greed, fear, insecurity. This behavior comes from the societal conditioning by way of culture and education. If only we can reverse the thought about scarcity and open our eyes to the abundance all over, we should be good.
Abundance on the planet needs to be recognized. The truth is, abundance is there on the Planet and human needs for all the 7.5 billion can be easily satiated. Human beings have just got to understand themselves and enjoy the abundance by coexisting in harmony.
Knowing that everyone has enough and that every being on this planet has an equal share over the offerings of nature, is a liberating reality. Cultures that divide mankind are not good because the purpose of mankind on this earth to coexist and create great memories in their interactions with each other and nature.
This can easily be achieved with the existing resources, provided abundance is practiced instead of scarcity. Once this is resolved and sharing starts, the planet will have more than what everyone can experience or consume.
