THE CULTURE OF ENOUGH

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

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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.