3 Reasons Why You'll Die Unfulfilled: Part 2.5

Last Time I talked about how money can't bring lasting happiness. The reason this post is part of that one is because not only will money not bring you happiness, but things won't either. What do I mean by this? Read on...

2.5) Things Bring Nothing

The world has to learn that the actual pleasure derived from material things is of rather low quality on the whole and less even in quantity than it looks to those who have not tried it.
-Oliver Wendell Holmes

Not only do things bring nothing in the form of lasting happiness, they mean nothing in the grand scheme of things.

What do I mean by that? Well 'things' can bring joy, especially if they enable you to do the things you love to do. Let's say you love to ride your bike. Obviously you're going to love your bike. You might even buy the more expensive bike with all the newest features. But the thing you have to realize here is that the bike isn't what you love to do. It's the experience of riding your bike. The freedom, the speed, the tight turns, the workout. That's what you enjoy. If you hadn't bought the most expensive bike you'd still love to ride. Odds are that you bought the most expensive bike because it looked cool.

Now I'm not going to go too far into this aspect of materialism but let me say this:

Once you commit yourself to getting into a pissing contest with your fellow man over "who has the best stuff" you are doomed to a life of failure and unhappiness.

Someone always always always has more than you do in some area. You simply can't win this battle, and neither can they for that matter. Odds are that you're beating them at something else; someone is.

Things don't bring the happiness in life. You're experiences with them are what you'll remember. That touchdown catch at the superbowl party? You remember the catch and high fiving all of your friends and the look of utter disgust on the face of the other fans as you laughed in their face. Not the brand and size of the tv... It's the people and experiences in your life that matter, not the other way around.

Note: I'm not saying you shouldn't buy the best and the newest things. I'm saying to understand their place in your life. Secondary.

This is why you shouldn't base your value of your life on what you have, or even what you've accomplished for that matter. What's important is how much better you've made the world for your fellow human beings.

Check out Part 1 and Part 2

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