The ego mind always wants more of everything—more material things, more fun, more experiences, more acclaim, more fame, more pats on the back for being right, more, more, more! This is because our smaller mind (not our Universal Divine Mind) feels empty and purposeless at its root and is never satisfied with the present moment. It wants to fill up this empty hole with things, knowledge, and experiences and feels restless if it is not in constant pursuit of something.
If something is good, more must be better, is the reasoning of this mind level. But, of course, we know from experience that this is not true. Too much of any lifesaving drug can kill us. Too much food and drink is unhealthy and can also kill us. A fast-paced life of constant acquisition takes a terrible toll and destroys lives every day. Yet despite our logic and reasoning, and what we see with our eyes, we blindly go on and believe that more of everything is better.
This is why the word “believe” in your question is so important. The words, “still believe” are even more to the point. We have seen through the ages that no material things last. Do we believe that Nature will make an exception for us because we are so special? The facts do not support this belief. Yet we still go on believing, like a child who refuses to admit that Santa Claus isn’t real.
So, it is not a matter of belief. We all actually know, deep down inside, that more material things don’t bring more happiness. We can see this from all the stories of the countless rock and film stars that have committed suicide or died of overdoses. These are not happy people, yet they are living in mansions and can have lots and lots of stuff that most people idealize. We would like to believe the fairy tale that if we got all those goodies, we’d be the exception, and we’d really be happy.
It is a wakeup call to discover that happiness can’t be found in external things, no matter what the quantity. And the number of external things does not equate to the amount of happiness a person feels inside. We know this, yet keep on believing and acting as if acquiring more and more is the way to live our lives.
If something is good, more must be better, is the reasoning of this mind level. But, of course, we know from experience that this is not true. Too much of any lifesaving drug can kill us. Too much food and drink is unhealthy and can also kill us. A fast-paced life of constant acquisition takes a terrible toll and destroys lives every day. Yet despite our logic and reasoning, and what we see with our eyes, we blindly go on and believe that more of everything is better.
This is why the word “believe” in your question is so important. The words, “still believe” are even more to the point. We have seen through the ages that no material things last. Do we believe that Nature will make an exception for us because we are so special? The facts do not support this belief. Yet we still go on believing, like a child who refuses to admit that Santa Claus isn’t real.
So, it is not a matter of belief. We all actually know, deep down inside, that more material things don’t bring more happiness. We can see this from all the stories of the countless rock and film stars that have committed suicide or died of overdoses. These are not happy people, yet they are living in mansions and can have lots and lots of stuff that most people idealize. We would like to believe the fairy tale that if we got all those goodies, we’d be the exception, and we’d really be happy.
It is a wakeup call to discover that happiness can’t be found in external things, no matter what the quantity. And the number of external things does not equate to the amount of happiness a person feels inside. We know this, yet keep on believing and acting as if acquiring more and more is the way to live our lives.
RSS Feed