The problem with humans living firstly in the twentieth century and then the twenty first century, is that we can pretty well get everything we need all the time. The number of people living in extreme poverty where absolutely basic things like food, shelter, and clothing, aren't being met, has fallen to the point where now this purely exists as an allocation issue. This isn't to say that people aren't starving in the world but the reason that they are starving is not caused by lack of food, rather if there was the political and economic will it would literally disappear within a month.
The other side of this is that we live in a world which can now provide constant excess of the basics, to the point where there are diseases caused by that excess.
Perhaps the most visible diseases caused by that excess is Obesity which is the outward manifestation of the excess of food. Various diseases like lung cancer, liver failure, and other organ damage are the manifestation of the excess of alcohol, cigarettes, and other drugs. I would even argue that on a societal level, the fact that we now have entire generations locked out of home ownership, is the manifestation of the excess of capital and power being concentrated in fewer and fewer hands.
The traditional viewpoint is that the vice which describes this is gluttony; which is caused by overconsumption. While that might very well describe the vice, the corresponding virtue of temperance and/or moderation, seeks only to modify the behaviour and I don't think actually addresses the underlying problem contained within the human soul.
As I have suggested on a number of occasions in this series, the centre of the universe is 19mm behind people's corneas. People are not only the centre of their own perception but with constant reinforcement, they are also the hero of their own story. The beast that shouts "I" at the heart of the world, with unlimited unlimited wants, wants everything all of the time. The consequences of trying to feed unlimited unlimited wants all of the time, are described above. If the answer is not necessarily trying to cut off all desire because that seems from the outset to be actually impossible, then what is to be done about this?
As someone who works in an environment where everyone is paid more than I am, what is really apparent is that they aren't any happier than I am, despite and maybe even because of the fact that they are being paid more. Too much is never enough; which seems to be a maxim irrespective of what the field of play happens to be.
What is also strangely apparent is that not even the quality of whatever the thing in question appears to be enough. If it isn't more that people want, then it is a higher and higher quality of stuff that people want. This is why in principle that conspicuous consumption of Veblen Goods, is readily explainable even in the face of logic.
Anecdote is not evidence and I am but one data point but as someone who can eat a cheese and devon sandwich with mayo for lunch, and be more satisfied with my lunch than someone who spends more in a day than I spend in a fortnight, then this suggests that something else is going on.
In the greater scheme of work, I have been driven to despair this year. Mere sadness can sometimes be a useful prompt to lead someone to fix the situation but despair is the more profound realisation that no action will make a difference. Given this, what is one to do in the face of this?
The two things which I appear to have any control over at work, and over which I have any control are when I arrive and the attitude about the situation which I control. Of the former, if I arrive before anyone else, I gain peace and quiet in the space; of the latter, control requires a conscious effort and choice.
Here's the fun realisation. You can choose to enjoy anything.
I think that the single most glorious thing that exists for lunch, is a grilled cheese sandwich with hochi sauce. There's nothing particularly glamourous or difficult about it but it is nice.
There is nothing as magical as particular cups of tea, which are just absolutely perfect; seemingly for no reason at all.
I like my Mazda 2, which is not an expensive car and neither is it a big one. It is fun to drive and I do like to just pootle about in it, even if it is just going to the shops.
I like mornings where nothing in particular happens, and I can just sit in the sunshine while the washing machine is doing its business.
I mention those things because I think that there is a quiet glory in the mundane. This is not necessarily a defence of simplicity, but it is a suggestion that always wanting more and always wanting better is a fool's errand, which doesn't actually lead to any more happiness.
The Greek philosopher Epicurus once suggested that what he needed for happiness was a jug of wine, a small pot of cheese, and four friends. In this respect, the art of frugal hedonism comes close to the actual concept of this post in that by not chasing after luxury or excess, it gives you a better ability to fully appreciate the simple, beautiful moments around you every day.
The final piece of this particular puzzle is the very point of this post. What happens if life is hard, or lonely, or difficult, or if people are stupid obnoxious and daft? What then? What can you do if this is the case?
Enjoying things, is actually a choice. It is actually a choice to decide to really enjoy that cup of tea, or to find small pleasures in work, or to enjoy the warmth of the sunshine, or as Epicurus suggests the philos of friends and family, or the calm before the world turns to horridness. It is a choice to choose that enough is enough, or that something simple is beautiful.
If you want to take this as a command, then do so. Choose to Enjoy things.
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