Consumerism and Peace of mind
There is no end to materialistic desires/possessions. The
self-centrist approach to life gives birth to a tendency to run after money, acquire
& hoard worldly goods/objects beyond one’s need to the extent that it even pollutes
one’s mind with inclination to grab what belongs to someone else thus
generating unhealthy competition, tension, conflict & violence. The mind
becomes restless & distracted resulting in loss of inner peace. Money
cannot buy peace and happiness. Monitor, restrain and curb the urge to own more
money, gems, gold, land or other valuables. Self-restraint, self-control & self-detachment
imbibed in thoughts, the virtues and values acquired on judicious introspection,
helps one find bliss and peace.
Quest
to Overachieve & Overreach - A Sign of Imbalance
Quote
A person usually reaches
home after work late, tired & irritated. One day he/she finds his/her 5
year old child waiting for him/her at the door. The little child asks his/her
parent “how much money do you make an hour?". The parent is furious and angrily
replies “I make Rs 100 an hour." I work long, hard
hours every day t0 buy you food, dress, toys etc. The little child quietly,
head bowed, went to his room.
The child saves his/her
pocket money over a month. The person, a month later, again finds his/her
little child waiting for him at the door. The moment person enters home the
child says "Dear Parent, I have Rs 100 now. Can I buy an hour of your
time?"
Unquote
“Do you Think the person
has been so selfish not to give time to his/her child." If it is what you feel with
respect to person’s choices & lifestyle, it is worth examining in order to
balance our own lives also for a more rewarding experience.
Sometimes, unknowingly, we
create imbalance while in our pursuit to overachieve or need to be the best at
something. Overachievers are people who have achieved but still feel the need
to do more, creating an imbalance in their lives. People who exhibit this
behavior may be trying to compensate for feelings of insecurity & doubts
about their worth. They may be chasing unresolved issues from their past into
the present, or they might not be looking at their lives as a whole, but
judging themselves based only on one aspect of their being.
If we do not permit ourselves to experience & enjoy the
present moment, putting pleasure off for later in the future, we are being
driven to achieve more than is truly essential. Pushing ourselves selfishly to
the exclusion of important people in our lives, or beyond the point of exhaustion,
robs us of true & meaningful joy. We need to look to those we love &
admire and note what we like about them, divert those feelings towards
ourselves in order to realize what we value about life & allow our
priorities to shift from chasing after an elusive feeling to being fully
present in the moment so that we can live our lives in the now.
When we put the energy that we have been devoting to a phantom
sense of achievement into the truly satisfying aspects of our lives, we can
restore the balance between our inner and outer worlds and experience true
joyful peace.
