There used to be a seminar run by a man named Werner Erhard. The seminar was called est, as in Erhard Seminar Training. In the training, he used to say that many of the participants came wanting “more, better, faster.” Clearly, many people still have these desires. Extremely wealthy people who need nothing continue to want to accumulate more. All of us are fascinated by the next new thing that promises to improve our lives. Any shareholder meeting will point out how the company in question is doing things more rapidly than ever before, in the attempt to be “first to market.”
“A reporter once asked Rockefeller how much is enough. His answer: Just a little bit more. And that’s all we want: to eat and sleep, to stay dry and be loved, and acquire just a little bit more.” (From The Overstory by Richard Powers) Of course, a little bit more never ends.
Some people are so poor, all they have is money. — Bob Marley
Living in Mexico for the last few weeks, I’ve been wondering if it is possible for me to break out of this trap. The people that I’ve been spending time with have much less than we do in America, at least in the neighborhoods where I have spent time. Yet they don’t seem to be concerned about it, and they are happy, which is more than I can say for many of my friends in the U.S. There is a community culture here and a focus on family that takes priority over “getting ahead.”
Thinking about this reminds me of a church that I visited in Kenya, more than 35 years ago. It was a rural church, and many of the people who attended services walked for miles to get there in their bare feet. They had literally nothing. When the service began, it was as if the Holy Spirit exploded all over us. It remains in my mind as the single most energetic and happy worship experience I’ve ever had.
Kurt Vonnegut tells this story:
True story, Word of Honor:
Joseph Heller, an important and funny writer
now dead,
and I were at a party given by a billionaire
on Shelter Island.
I said, “Joe, how does it make you feel
to know that our host only yesterday
may have made more money
than your novel ‘Catch-22’
has earned in its entire history?”
And Joe said, “I’ve got something he can never have.”
And I said, “What on earth could that be, Joe?”
And Joe said, “The knowledge that I’ve got enough.”
Not bad! Rest in peace!”
I have seen a number of YouTube videos about retirement planning. They each have their own take on how to calculate what you will need in retirement, and therefore when the optimal time to retire is. As I watch these videos and do the calculations, I always end up discouraged, because the numbers show that I should have enough to live for the rest of my life, but only if I die sometime next month. Do I need just a little bit more? Maybe.
But I wonder if that is the trap talking, taking me into its maw one more time, trying to make me forget that I have food, clothing, and shelter. If I submit, I’ll work for the rest of my life, always wondering if that last little bit was enough. But if I pull myself out of this mindset, maybe I’ll actually begin to notice all that I have.
The one practice I know that helps to give me some perspective on what we have is gratitude. Making a list of 5 things for which you are grateful every night has been shown to improve optimism and feelings of happiness. It may also help me to figure out when enough is enough.
Thank you, Bob, for this thoughtful reflection. I’m preparing a sermon this week on Mother Teresa, intentional poverty, and Mother Teresa’s perspective on how to minister both to the rich and the poor. What you wrote gives me much to consider related to these topics!