Breaking
Free From Comfortable
I believe that materialism, the pursuit of personal
comforts, material objects and wealth, is a curse that plagues most people in
first world countries. Before I continue, I must say that these individual
items, or objects, or comforts are not bad in themselves, it's really wonderful
to have a Smartphone, an Xbox, a ... (you fill in the blank.) I believe that
striving for these things, and prioritizing material objects in your life will
lead to an unhappy way of living in the end. I've heard countless stories about
people who have climbed the hard ladder to success only to find unhappiness and
a longing for something else at the top. "How could you be unhappy with 5
cars, a house that can fit 3 families and a 300 inch flat screen TV," one
my ask. I believe that a life built on comfort and unnecessary reaching for
material things will leave you ultimately unhappy and dissatisfied in the end.
I ask you, reader, to keep an open mind while reading
this essay, this topic is so engraved into the life of many of us reading this.
Materialism is not something I find that is talked about enough, or if it is,
it doesn't often make a difference in the lives of others. People will work
their entire lives for the next step and the next raise, working to get their
family a bigger house, a nice boat, and having the newest and best. Kids sit in
lines for hours trying to get the next video game, or the next pair of
Jordan's. I am in no way saying that these games, or products are bad in any
way, I personally love videogames and it is fun to wait in lines with your
friends and to have luxuries to enjoy with your loved ones. The question,
however, isn't whether these things are bad in themselves, but what in your
life takes priority? Yourselves, or something other than your own life?
We don't like to think about the other side of this
coin and it is incredibly easy to ignore. If we are part of the first world who
spends hours in line buying and playing video games for days on end, working up
the corporate ladder for the next raise to by the boat of their dreams, and
people who would rather give up their boyfriends than their phone (which is
something I actually heard the other week from a caller on a local radio
station in Columbus, OH.), then what is the other side of this? If that's how
some of us are living, then how are
those who are either choosing not to live in the trap materialism live?
This is the part of the essay that will either anger
readers into thinking this is about guilt and trying to save little starving
kids in Africa, or this is the part of the essay where readers will realize
that this is a problem. Here it goes: THERE ARE OTHER THINGS OUT THERE THAT
DESERVE YOUR TIME AND RESOURCES OTHER THAN YOUR OWN COMFORTS. That sounds
pretty harsh, doesn't it? Why, you may ask?
That is not exactly a simple answer. I believe we have a natural
reaction to make our lives as comfortable and self orientated as we possibly
can. Working outside that box that we are naturally living in is abstract and
odd in itself. We have to examine reasons for choosing to not live with objects
in our crosshairs as our main focus. Searching is not hard, however, it turns
out to be incredibly uncomfortable to come to terms with the results. Thinking
of how your resources and time could be spent on something other than
yourself/immediate family, is not exactly accepted with open arms. We've all
received the little post cards in the mail of starving children needing
sponsorship so they can eat, or other nonprofit organizations asking for your
money that you've worked so hard for. Although yes, this is something you've
worked hard for, how does one not only get blessed with a job, but not bless
others through the fruits of their labor?
The tail side to the materialism coin is being "freehanded."
This term simply means that the things that you receive are things that you
don't take possession of so tightly that they can be passed on to either
someone else or destroyed (like most things eventually are) without feeling
like you've lost. This is the opposite of living with materials on your mind.
This mindset gives you freedom, although it may not be the most comfortable at
first, I believe this is a way to live freely in a first world society.
Having a freehand mentality will allow you truly
bless others with your resources and time. I believe this is not only an
important quality to make your own but it has two hidden beliefs. The first is
that you are not above your resources and time; which to me, means that you are
not putting yourself as your only priority in your life. Don't confuse this as
not taking care of yourself, but this means that your comforts are not your
main goal at all times. The second belief is that if you are blessed and have
resources and time, it is better to help those without; rather than hoarding it
for yourself. This could be anything from giving your time that we all have so
little of and doing something for someone else rather than on yourself.
Examples for this are numerous, including volunteering at countless outreaches
for poverty, donating money to people who need it more than you, and sharing
what has been given to you simply because you aren't thinking of these things
as resources for your comfort.
I believe that having so much money and wealth in a
first world class gives us two opportunities. The first opportunity, or choice,
is that we can keep our blessings and resources for ourselves. I would call
this materialism; receiving things, even if we worked hard for them, and
continually using them to reproduce comfort in our own lives. The second
opportunity is the opportunity to help others. I believe that this option is
the side that we should choose. Living freehanded allows us to give more freely
and allows us to actually help those around us who are less fortunate.
The question then becomes, "What are you willing
to give up?" Do not allow this question to trick you into thinking that
all we have should be given to the poor, but are we really willing to hold back
everything from someone who needs something more? Living freehanded, choosing to turn your back
on materialism, will ultimately lead to a life of happiness and the
satisfaction of helping others when they couldn't help themselves. Giving
freely will liberate and free your life from the unhappiness of having things
that don't matter.
"When
I chased after money, I never had enough. When I got my life on purpose and
focused on giving of myself and everything that arrived into my life, then I
was prosperous."
Works Cited
Dyer, Wayne W. "Quote - When I Chased after
Money..." Quotationsbook. Web. 14 Oct. 2013.
No comments:
Post a Comment