Everything is excessive. The mantra is more. People are rewarded and looked up to for having and doing more. It pushes people into consuming, exaggerating, and living up to the image based on excess.
It is the cause of many of the world’s problems. If society is not expanding it is failing. If the economy is not growing we have failure.
Perhaps it is time to reduce our forward momentum, consolidate and value the quality.
Life can be a gentle, pleasant pleasure rather than a hectic rush for more. We could be content with less. The lust for more is relentless madness. It should not be ‘how many?’ or ‘how much? as much as ‘how well?’.
Doing or having more is not better. It is often a lot worse. Doing one thing well is much more worthy-while. But then I am more guilty than most.
This poem is a lesson for myself.
This world is run
This world is run on how many books you’ve read
Those that have read more are better
This world is run on how many miles you’ve run
Those that run further are better
This world is run on how many exams you’ve passed
Those that have passed more are better
This world is run on how many meetings you’ve chaired
Those that have chaired more are better
This world is run on how many promotions you’ve had
Those that are promoted higher are better
This world is run on how many faces you’ve punched
Those that have punched more are better
This world is run on how many people you’ve fucked
Those that have fucked more are better
This world is run on how many strangers you’ve stabbed
Those that have stabbed more are better
This world is run on how many people you’ve shot
Those that have shot more are better
This world is run on how much money we’ve amassed
Those that have amassed more are better
This world is run on how many ‘things’ you own
Those that own more are better
This world is not run on intelligence, compassion or love
It has no care, respect or fairness
This world has become a race
This world has become what we make it
We are sometimes stupid, cruel and vicious
Perhaps it is time to respect those that do less better?
Opher 12.6.09