There are things we want, and there are things we need. Are these the same?
We need to breathe, obviously. Take away air for more than a couple of minutes and we cease to exist. Food and water are needs, although we can last a little longer without either of these than we can without air.
Other than that, the basic needs of shelter and safety are important, although not entirely necessary to survive. I still feel I need them though in order to function beyond a level of just surviving.
There really isn’t much else. Our needs can be as basic as this.
Of course, we want much more and that is an important part of who we are.
There is everything right about wanting to create a life of comfort and ease. There is no nobility in suffering, unless you feel that is your karma in this lifetime and you are satisfied with that.
Most of us want to achieve things, to live a life of excitement and fulfillment and creativity. We want to approach each day with enthusiasm and joy, knowing that we have no idea what is ahead but looking forward to every bit of it.
At least, that is how we should feel. Unfortunately many people have resigned themselves to living the same day they lived yesterday, locked into a box of monotony and routine.
It is possible to exist in a routine but to bring a sense of enthusiasm and joy to it. Even if you have done the same job for thirty years there could be ways to make it something you look forward to.
It is never what you do, it is the attitude you bring to the doing. There are people who are living lives that others envy but who are unhappy because they have no enthusiasm or passion for what they do.
When we do things only to acquire something we think will bring us happiness at some future time, then this disconnect with living in the moment will cause anxiety and grief.
We can only live now. We can only be happy now. Nothing can take place in the future, ever. This is such a difficult concept to grasp that it takes some work and vigilance to remember it in every moment.
Any attachment to something in the future takes away our power in the present. When we attach conditions to our happiness or ability to be joyful, that takes our power and gives it away to something that doesn’t exist.
When you are unhappy now, whatever comes to you as you move through life will not change this. Things and people come and go, and if your happiness is contingent on their presence then you are destined to live an unhappy life.
Does this make sense? Can you see how important this idea is?
Nothing can come to you that will change who you are on the inside. There is evidence of this everywhere.
How many celebrities commit suicide or have drug or alcohol addictions? Fame and fortune are supposed to be the pinnacles of attainment in this society. This isn’t true.
As it has become easier to take care of our basic needs, our wants have spiralled out of control. Whatever we get brings a temporary moment of satisfaction, but it is never enough.
Contentment is not a word that describes life in the modern world.
If today you say to yourself, “My only goal today is to be happy and content with what I have, and to find joy in every moment and with every breath I take,” then how does this day look to you?
Find peace within right now. It is there, you just have it buried under a pile of wants masquerading as needs.