“Abundance, like want, ruins many” says a Romanian proverb. Material abundance promises more choices, easier access to things, less struggle and more ways to enjoy life. Everyone likes to have things in abundance; but is having things in abundance always a blessing? Yes, it is a blessing in the sense it relieves us from the stress of struggling for some basic needs. However, the same abundance that frees us from competition or survival instincts also has the power to enslave us if we are not careful about our lifestyles. If not-having some things could ruin people, it is also true that having too much of anything could also ruin people. A story is told of the head of the US patent office in the early 20th century actually resigning because he thought that everything that a person would ever need had already been invented. I am not sure how long he lived, but if he ever gets a glimpse into our 21st Century technology and gadgets, he would think we are from Mars or aliens. What this person failed to understand is that man’s life is not just driven by needs; it’s often driven by wants.
A study shows that in 1975 only ten percent of people thought a second TV was part of the good life, by 1991 twenty eight percent thought it was necessary for good life. And we know by now almost more than 50% of American homes have two or more TVs in their homes. What started as a “want” some years ago soon became a “perceived need.” There is a constant change in our definition of needs and a steady increase in our perception of needs in almost every area of life. We have come to believe that we need a lot of stuff to enjoy the so called “good life”. Remember Jesus’ warning regarding having too much stuff, “Take care! Protect yourself against the least bit of greed. Life is not defined by what you have, even when you have a lot.” (The Message, Luke 12:15)
The same abundance that frees us from competition or survival instincts also has the power to enslave us if we are not careful about our lifestyles. If not-having some things could ruin people, it is also true that having too much of anything could also ruin people.
Sometimes I am amazed at the choices we have here in some parts of the western world. Trust me, I love the fact that we have so many choices, I am not against having choices, but I want us to realize the damage this abundance is doing to us and our young people. I think there are four major problems with abundance of things. Firstly, abundance feeds our greed and blinds us from the blessedness of simple life. The problem with greed is that we will never have enough to turn our attention to more important things in life. Secondly, abundance takes away the true value of things, when we have too much of anything we will soon lose appreciation for things. We have to be constantly upgrading things to make them look more valuable or interesting.
Abundance takes away the true value of things, when we have too much of anything we will soon lose appreciation for things. We have to be constantly upgrading things to make them look more valuable or interesting.
Thirdly, abundance causes waste and besides blinding us from the true value of things, it also makes us insensitive to the needs of others. Did you know that with only 5% of global population, the US consumes 30% of the planet’s resources? Someone said if everyone in this world lived like the Americans (where 80% of our products are used only once, disposable) we would need three more planets like this. Abundance and waste will soon become synonymous; in fact they are like cause and effect. Finally abundance makes life boring and pushes people to extremes to feel good about themselves. Ordinary things no longer satisfy our quest for pleasure; we have to do extreme things to get the smallest pleasure in life.
Not having things or lack of things will definitely make life more difficult, but growing with little or nothing has a bright side to it, it makes us more independent, creative, strong and very appreciative of the so called “small blessings” in life. I observe that many parents these days work hard to make sure their children are not deprived of the pleasures they were deprived as children. While it may not be a bad idea to provide your children with things, it is possible that sometimes we spoil children with things. One of the things I really cannot figure out is the sense of entitlement this generation young people have. Most of these kids grew up getting almost all that they demanded from their parents, since they get most stuff for free, they neither have appreciation for the things nor gratitude towards parents. All I am trying to say is please do not deprive your children of the wonderful lessons they could learn from not having things. Kids who grow up in too much comfort and pleasure will not develop the survival skills needed to live independently in this world.
Parnell Bailey once visited an orange grove where an irrigation pump had broken down. The season was unusually dry and some of the trees were beginning to die for lack of water. The man giving the tour then took Bailey to his own orchard where irrigation was used sparingly. “These trees could go without rain for another two weeks,” he said. “You see, when they were young, I frequently kept water from them. This hardship caused them to send their roots deeper into the soil in search of moisture. Now mine are the deepest-rooted trees in the area. While others are being scorched by the sun, these are finding moisture at a greater depth.” It’s my prayer that we will do our best in helping our next generation to grow stronger roots so that they could survive the storms and hardships of life in the future.
Not having things or lack of things will definitely make life more difficult, but growing with little or nothing has a bright side to it, it makes us more independent, creative, strong and very appreciative of the so called “small blessings” in life.
– – Author: Rev. Francis Burgula – –
