THE CULTURE OF ENOUGH

THE CULTURE OF ENOUGH

Can we say ‘enough’ to material possessions? asks Suma Varughese

A prayer that I often utter  goes thus: “May everyone  have enough and no  one aspire for more.” The two  go together. Everyone can have  enough only if all of us can forgo  our greed. Even if a handful decide  to plunder and pillage the planet,  large swathes of humanity will  go without, not to mention the  ravage that it will wreak on the  environment and the quality of our  lives. In today’s times, cultivating  this culture has become a practical  imperative. There is no other way  to save our precious planet and to  arrest our precipitate descent into  climatic catastrophe. However,  that is not the only benefit. Only  a willingness to put a limit on  consumption will bring us the  peace and contentment that earlier  generations enjoyed, resolve  societal inequity and conflict, and  create more law and order. Above  all, it will significantly improve  our Gross National Happiness. On  an individual basis, only freedom  from the lure of money can bring  us the higher joys we long for, such  as spiritual growth, building strong  relationships, serving society, or  dabbling in the arts. So how do we  cultivate this culture of Enough?  It is not an easy task. In the first  place, no one outside ourselves  has the right to determine what  Enough means for us. An arbitrary  government cannot tell us that a  certain level of income, a house  of a particular size, or a fixed  

set of jewellery is enough. That  imposition is an intolerable  violation of our freedom. 

Besides, to reach this state, we  need to void our vasanas, our  conditioning. Suppression and  repression only serve to drive  our desires underground, which  will surface later in the form of  an addiction, made all the more  powerful by our resistance to them.  No. To arrive at a genuine sense  of satiation, it needs to come from  within. Often, it comes through  the ongoing evolution of living life.  Most of us, for instance, definitely  find our interest in the material  plane palling as we grow older. We  no longer pine to own the nth piece  of jewellery, Sabyasachi’s latest  collection, or the newest iPhone.  Even our palate ceases to exert a  compelling pull on our desires.  Slow though this method may be,  it is sure. But this process can be  accelerated through conscious  living and conscious self-work. As  we become more self-aware and  more self-accepting, our desires  no longer have the same gnawing  intensity. Both these tools,  particularly acceptance, give them  the space to be, and whatever has  the space to be will not trouble us.  We can deal with them rationally  and free ourselves of ego-based  needs, such as wanting to impress  through flashy living, eating the  next piece of chocolate cake, or  becoming a CEO at age 30. Self awareness and acceptance can  

also help us cut through the many  illusions that hold us in thrall.  The illusion that our worth is  determined by the amount of  money we make, that money can  buy happiness, or that whatever  we have is not enough. Moreover,  as more and more catch the fire of  Enough, more others will be drawn  to it. Maybe, in time, keeping up  with the Joneses will mean buying  less and less and even making less  and less! In the meantime, the best  way to inch towards the lifestyle  of Enough is to stay in tandem  with our inner growth and free  ourselves of what we no longer  feel the need for. As our children  grow up and leave home, we can  consider moving into a smaller  house or even re-evaluating how  much we now need to lead a  reasonably good life. Once we  retire, once again, we can evaluate  how much we will need. Secondly,  we should surround ourselves  with high-thinking, simple-living  friends. Nothing influences us as  much as the company we keep.  Thirdly, we should stay aware of  the consequences of high living  on the planet, on society, and on  ourselves as well. 

Good luck! 

Suma Varughese is a thinker,  writer, and former Editor-in-Chief of Life Positive. She also  

holds writer’s workshops. Write  to her at sumavarughese@ hotmail.com. 

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