What a succinct reframing of desire! This has been a helpful reminder to evaluate what the current systems and routines are in our life and if they're working towards our own values.
According to Spock (in the original Star Trek): "After a time, you may find that having is not so pleasing a thing after all as wanting. It is not logical, but it is often true."
Thanks for sharing your personal story Kasper. This quote from Oprah Winfrey comes to mind:
“If you look at what you have in life, you’ll always have more.
If you look at what you don’t have in life, you’ll never have enough.”
She co-authored a book with Arthur Brooks, which I really enjoyed. And one way to frame your points here, is that the system has us believing that we can buy our way to happiness. Because unhappy people make great consumers. And what you're describing is in line with what Brooks calls the "3 macronutrients of happiness", which are enjoyment, satisfaction, and purpose. And he talks about 4 idols to beware from, because they stand in the way and are distractions from those macronutrients. What you list above all fall into those 4 categories: money, power, pleasure, and prestige.
And so he recommends spending our time, attention, and energy (which is redirecting the wants in your words) on these 4 pillars instead: family, friendship, work, and faith.
What a succinct reframing of desire! This has been a helpful reminder to evaluate what the current systems and routines are in our life and if they're working towards our own values.
According to Spock (in the original Star Trek): "After a time, you may find that having is not so pleasing a thing after all as wanting. It is not logical, but it is often true."
Thanks for sharing your personal story Kasper. This quote from Oprah Winfrey comes to mind:
“If you look at what you have in life, you’ll always have more.
If you look at what you don’t have in life, you’ll never have enough.”
She co-authored a book with Arthur Brooks, which I really enjoyed. And one way to frame your points here, is that the system has us believing that we can buy our way to happiness. Because unhappy people make great consumers. And what you're describing is in line with what Brooks calls the "3 macronutrients of happiness", which are enjoyment, satisfaction, and purpose. And he talks about 4 idols to beware from, because they stand in the way and are distractions from those macronutrients. What you list above all fall into those 4 categories: money, power, pleasure, and prestige.
And so he recommends spending our time, attention, and energy (which is redirecting the wants in your words) on these 4 pillars instead: family, friendship, work, and faith.