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How Much is Enough?

The concept of enough is, of course, a relative concept. We live in a very competitive culture, so we live in a culture of more. I don't need a Ferrari to get me home from the grocery store. Ice cream doesn't melt that fast. How big should a company be? How powerful of a computer do I need? How many items of clothing are enough? Are there lines to be drawn? In a culture of more, it's often hard to see or set limits...

This leads me straight to my next thought. Dissatisfaction in human life. There are two different forms of dissatisfaction in human life. One being the dissatisfaction of acquisition. This is when you're not satisfied with what you have. You want more stuff. More money. More power. A bigger house. Another house. A more luxurious car. Or a faster car.

The second form of dissatisfaction is the dissatisfaction of aspiration. This is when you are not satisfied with what you are and want to become something better. You want to be wiser, to know more, to experience more. You want to connect better with your world. You want to have a deeper impact in your community, or in your work.

Money, fame, power, and status can be good and useful as resources, but they are very problematic as focal goals. When they are pursued as focal targets, the concept of "enough" can't get a grip at all. Everyone I know who has a little wants more. But it's even more interesting that everyone I know who has alot wants even more.

So I ask you, "How much is enough?"

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