I get an email five days a week from Pastor Jack Freed with his Jack’s Winning Words blog for the day. I save many of the quotes that Freed uses because they often provide inspiration for my own blog. Sometimes when two or more of them are combined they make event more sense. Such is the case today.
I’ve had the first quote in my file for some time –
“That’s the way things come clear…all of a sudden…And then you realize how obvious they’ve been all along.” (Madeleine L’Engle)
The second quote just arrived in this morning’s emails –
“Being clever with what you have is better than getting more of what you don’t need.” (Noor Murad)
The thing about getting more of anything – money, possessions, or power – is that it never seems to be enough; it never provides us with that sense of satisfaction and accomplishment that we thought that it would.
Concluding that more is not the answer, but rather what we do with what we have is a realization that arrives all of a sudden and makes obvious that life is not about getting more of anything.
So, if more stuff is not the answer to being happy, what is? Perhaps Murad’s quote could have substituted the word “happy” for the word clever and it would have made perfect sense. Jack’s comments in his blog went beyond that and talked about reducing the stuff that we collect in life by giving it to others who have more need of it.
Some of the wealthiest people in the world have signed onto a pledge to give away the bulk of their fortunes to charitable causes or in pursuit of worthy causes to benefit the planet and mankind in general. People like Bill Gates and Warrant Buffet have made those pledges.
The term “woke” has recently been usurped by some politicians and given an undeserved negative connotation, it is fair to say that those billionaires who have pledged to give away their fortunes have realized the obvious (awakened). They have refocused from just getting more stuff and become cleverer about how to use what they have for the betterment of mankind.
Most of us do not have the kind of money or possessions to take such a big step; however, we can resolve to be happy with what we have and to do what we can to make the lives of others better. We do share one thing with the billionaires of the world – time. We can devote some of our time to volunteerism in our communities. Most local charitable organizations will tell you that your time as a volunteer is the most valuable things that they need to accomplish their missions. Use your time to help others rather than chasing more stuff.
So, stop and recognize the obvious. You don’t need more stuff. Getting more stuff will not make you happy. Rather, you should find happiness in what you have and figure out more ways to share what you have helping others.
Why didn’t I think of that before? It is so obvious.
NormsMilfordBlog 
Thanks, Norm, for taking what I write and making it better. I appreciate you and your mind.
I don’t make then better; I just provide a different point of view. Recently you posted in your blog – “Remember that there’s always another way of seeing things; that’s the beginning of wisdom.” (John Barth – writer)
I guess we are both getting wiser inthe process.