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Day 3:
Good morning.
In the book “life of Pi” the main character is stranded on a life-boat for many months. He comes to realise what his needs in life really are, and what aspects of his previous life were in fact luxuries. It is quite amazing to read an account like this and think quite how few things we really need, and indeed how many of our “essential” possessions are in fact luxuries.
Let me give an example - recently a new electronics store opened around the corner from where I live so I went for a visit to check it out. This turned into a bit of a mistake as it was a “sale” weekend and everyone seemed to be fighting to get to the TV section and bag the “bargain” offers. I couldn’t help but be drawn to the offers section and start laying extravagant plans for a home cinema – an apparent “need” in my life that I hadn’t previously recognised. I went home and spent all night dreaming about the cinema system, and worrying how I could afford it, or indeed fit it into my sitting room. However, after spending a night tossing and turning all my great plans were quickly squashed by my wife who reminded me that a home cinema was not a basic need, and indeed not even an option!
So here’s my thought for the day – once we have enough resources to meet the really basic needs, do we realise that any extra money or time can be used to make us happy, or do we automatically begin to look around, decide on greater “needs”, and then get stressed about trying to afford them? Do we use our extra resources to bring happiness, or simply more stress?
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