“Every human being is obsessive compulsive. It’s not a diagnosis so much as a description of our common humanity. Our desires get too much attention in our minds and gain too much mastery over our actions” says David Powlison in a very interesting article entitled “Innocent pleasures”. Did you ever wonder why there are so many people in this world who are disappointed with life in general?
Many centuries ago Goutham Bhudda spent his whole life searching the answer for this question and figured out that our desires are the key reason for our disappointment. In other words Buddha summarized that “an enlightened person should simply exist without desires where his needs and urges cease to control him, and he thereby avoids the cycle of indulgence and denial that tortures, confuses and distracts every living soul.” Sounds very profound but I do not understand how can there be life without a desire for something. While Buddha condemns desires, the world we live in and the media glorifies our desires and almost worships material pleasures.
A wise man once said “An object in possession seldom retains the same charm that it had in pursuit.”
A few years ago when I started attending my Doctoral classes I was probably the only student who walked into our class room without a laptop. It was a very funny feeling; while everybody else looked into their laptops and typed their notes I was trying to scribble something in my notes. I just felt the pressure so much that I rushed and bought a used laptop because I just did not want to miss out on any of the advantages a student can have in using a laptop. Well, it only took a few weeks before I went to the class room without my laptop again; it was a very disappointing investment. I spent a lot of money and had high expectations that this will change my life as a student, but it did not.
“The most terrible thing about materialism, even more terrible than its proneness to violence, is its boredom”- Malcolm Muggeridge
All of us long to acquire some material possessions, we dream about a thing and finally when we buy it or get it, it’s never as good. It never does as much for you, as what you imagined over the months of dreaming. This disappointment factor is a clear indicator that we sometimes over-invest in a pleasure that was not designed to last long. A wise man once said “An object in possession seldom retains the same charm that it had in pursuit.” If you do not agree with me, please check your closet for all the cloths that were only used once or twice, or walk into your garage and count all those things/toys that were used only once and are now accumulating dust. In the words of Malcolm Muggeridge “The most terrible thing about materialism, even more terrible than its proneness to violence, is its boredom”. It is sad that many of us are so caught up in this trendy world that attracts us with things that promise to change our life and yet leave us totally disappointed.
One of the important characteristics of material possessions is that they function under the law of diminishing returns. When we try to get more and more out of material things, we end up yielding less and less returns. The problem is not with the material things, it is with our faulty understanding and illusory expectations from a mere “thing”. When we face the disillusionment of material things instead of correcting our perspective on things we intensify our search for happiness through more things. The wise man Solomon calls it a chasing after the wind or a mirage. Jesus talked about a man who was so rich and successful in his business that he kept destroying his present barns and built bigger barns hoping that more will make him happy. It is interesting to note that his material success did not give him the satisfaction in life, yet he continued to search for satisfaction in life through more material success.
Today we have many young people who listen to more music, watch more movies, eat more food, spend more money…etc all in the pursuit of happiness. “This video game isn’t graphic enough, this vacation isn’t exotic enough, this computer isn’t fast enough (Ouch), my salary isn’t big enough…etc.” are some of the most often heard complaints in our daily life. What did you expect? They are mere things and they can never give you long lasting satisfaction or happiness. If you thought that accumulating things can make your life happier or more satisfied, you are wrong. Nothing in this world has the ability to amuse us or satisfy us for a life time, because things are short lived and so are their pleasures. In the words of Saint Augustine “You (God) have made us for yourself, and our hearts are restless until they find their rest in you”.
Disappointment with things is terrible, but what is worse is our continual search for happiness and lasting satisfaction in other things besides God.
– – Author: Rev. Francis Burgula – –
