In our culture, the top of the mountain is having everything. And not just having access to the things we need, but owning or possessing our very own, “one of those.”
Guarded behind our locked doors are our things. Our printers, washers and dryers, garages, generators, ping pong tables, beer fridges, and much, much more.
After all, we work a lot to enjoy these things, so we feel justified in our consumerism. Our friend next door has his own as well, and thus the line between need and want gets ever blurry.
This slippery slope only becomes more fraught with every decision we make that is a vote for ‘mine.’
Logically, I am thinking about how we can make decisions that get us moving in the other direction.
Needing less. Wanting less. Prioritizing time spent as opposed to dollars earned.
But it’s hard, Everything in our culture says that we need to make more money next week, next month, next year. If consumer prices keep going up 35% every 4 years, we surely will.
Or maybe we are at an inflection point. Trade wars with allies while Americans keep getting taxed by the private sectors similar need - to make more money.
If this is an inflection point in how the US relates to the world economic order then we can expect the status quo to shrivel. And not in a good way.
If ‘mine’ means I don’t have time, patience, health, or joy, is it worth it?
A budget has two sides.
I think it’s time we look at truly vetting what is necessary; where we can abandon what we have come to categorize as ‘needs’ in favor of a life less reactive, hollow, and isolated.
Trust me, I wish I wanted to talk about something else.
Please don’t shoot the messenger... and if ‘mine’ really is needed, it has nothing to worry about us asking the question.