Avoiding the Acquisition Race by Taking Charge of Life and Finding the Courage to Change our Level of Contentment

AS A SOCIETY WE HAVE BEEN DECEIVED!  Playing upon our vanities, the marketing folks have convinced us all that bigger, newer, faster, and safer is always better.  They have successfully sold us, amid our ever-growing egos, on the belief that satisfaction and contentment are directly tied to acquisition, impact, achievement, and control.  This just isn't true.  History shows that it never has been true and the current world condition indicates that it won't be true in the future either.  Discontent is the byproduct of this type of reasoning.  Thinking this way ensures that we never feel that we have enough: enough money, enough toys, enough possessions, enough security, enough attention, and enough significance.  As such, we all compete for limited resources in an attempt to feel safe and appreciated.  The reality is that there is sufficient for all.  The reality is that contentment and satisfaction are not found in things.  The reality is that contentment is a state of mind attained only through discipline and determination.  Happiness is not secured through ease, but through self-mastery.

Managing the Ego by Balancing Humility and Pride in the Search for Meaning in Life

The Latin term for self is ego.  We each perform a 24/7 assessment of our lives: every event, act, and competition.  We compare where current performances stand with personal perceptions.  Innocent at first, within time, this process becomes self fulfilling.  We see what we choose to see.  Numerous ego defense mechanisms are employed to maintian this personal illusion.  Ego is not based on the reality of what others witness, but, rather on what we have chosen to believe.  In our search for meaning in life, managing our ego is paramount in the balance between humility and pride.