“Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not; remember that what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for.” ~Epicurus, Greek philosopher, BC 341-270
Life is difficult.
Living in an economy where inflation rates is very high; where you have to decide whether to fill your gasoline tank or feed your family; where the more you spend time at work, the more the government takes more from your paycheck; where as technology advances, your cost of living increases; where when you leave the house, the more you drain your savings, that is, if there is still any; where when you take that dollar bill, you know that it cannot buy what it used to; and more. The list can be endless. The human tendency is to whine, complain, and blame somebody else for all of these things.
Life is difficult today, I must say again.
It’s a fact. It’s a reality. I think, acceptance here is the key. Acceptance here does not mean an act of surrendering to the situation, but rather an acknowledgment of what is really happening in and around you.
Life is difficult but acceptance of this fact means being contented.
Reality check: there are many things today that you want, but you do not actually need, and they can wait. And more often those wants and 'perceived' needs are already in our possession, and we are simply blinded by our innate desires to want more. As Frederick Koenig puts it,
“We tend to forget that happiness doesn't come as a result of getting something we don't have, but rather of recognizing and appreciating what we do have.”
That is contentment.
We can weather this recession if we focus on and appreciate (better yet, be thankful for) the things that we have now, rather than on things that we think and feel we can’t live without. Take a quick inventory, and see what I mean.
Am I making sense?
8 Comments:
Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts ^_~