Focusing More on Experiences...Instead of Stuff

Do you like stuff? Oh yeah, you do! The more the merrier. Lets break it down, shall we? You see the stuff on the shelf, on TV, on this popular girl in school, and you know having it will change everything. You will more complete than you currently are. People will love the stuff, think greatly of you which will change the way they have always thought of you but it will also change the way you think about yourself. And after a span of thirty or so minutes after buying the stuff, you go back to your original state of mind. GONE! The respite to this undesirable outcome is that there is always,always another stuff to take you through those steps again, and again. Its our way to measure ourselves and others. Sounds familiar? Its not your and my story. I hope to be wrong but its a story of everyone

The process will continue till one day you come to the realization that you are in in fact going through those steps of "want-buy-want more" continuously. This awareness provides the clarity on how ridiculously useless this rigmarole is. having stuff is not bad but its the association of stuff to self worth, the eagerness to create a formula where the quantity of stuff is an integral multiplier to happiness - that's where the fallacy lies. The truth is that we are constantly trying to find ourselves and we search for oneself in these things. It helps add another definition to who we are or to the idea of who we are. Needless to say, its another wrench in your path to self discovery. The external world can only give as much - the momentary high. The internal exploration is what leads us to more concrete answers to what we are looking for in these things.

Despite it all, its very hard to be devoid of the the urge to own more. Its hard not to give in. So, get your house, get your car, get the stuff. But be aware of the ego cropping up to drive you towards some more. May be try something new. Replace the need for stuff with experiences. When there is a deep desire to buy a watch, save the money to buy your house-help some new clothes, or travel to an unknown place, make dinner for your parents. If happiness is the true index, then your net happiness when you collect experiences is far greater than stuff collection. There is a certain ecstasy, a rush when we are involved in experiences with people or nature. Its completely absent when we buy something to meet a desire. Its not what you give but it is in the act of giving, feeling, seeing, helping where we see glimpses of our truest self. May be stuff exist so that we can give more, feel more, help more...