The Challenge of Living an Honest Life in a World of Want
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- Опубліковано 21 вер 2024
- A constant need for more, while seemingly innocent, can subtly coax us into compromising our character, integrity, and values.
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Going from a Shopaholic to Minimalist and all the decluttering work - physical and emotional - cured me of "wanting" possessions.
Ditto❤
@@ktrudy1 ☺️❤️
Awesome! I'm in between. I've decluttered, but I still shop. 😢 One-in-one out, though.
Same ❤
@@Smallworld2024 ☺️❤️
As a 60 yo retired man, I have always lived a frugal life but I never missed anything. I have always had good food, leisure, travelled quite a bit, etc. I saved a bunch of money so I don’t need to work. I am at a point in my life where I have no desire for goods of any kind, I don’t need to travel, I drink a bottle of wine per month and I still feel that I live a pretty good life. It’s such a great feeling to be able to do whatever I want without feeling the need for anything in particular other than spending time quality time with my friends and family.
I basically agree with your sentiments, but I enjoy some traveling because it's the spice of life and I drink 3 bottles of wine per month, otherwise we think alike. take care
You sound like me, I'm 56 this year but I still have to work to pay the rent but I am considering 3 days off per week,I'm self employed so I can pick my hours. I don't have a desire for new shiny things anymore, it's like something has been disconnected in me. TV ads are just noise to me and I skip UA-cam ads as soon as they appear. Printed ads are companies trying to get money from you by showing you things you don't want or need or even knew existed. I love camping and I'm more than content having a few nights in that, I've no burning desire to catch a plane and go somewhere else. I've always lived frugally and never felt I was missing out, except maybe in winter when I hardly ever use the heating because I'm so worried about the cost. I just wrap up in layers instead. Not nice,but heating is too expensive and I'd rather have my emergency fund
I’ve actually found that our family taking a voluntary pay cut for a better quality of life made us more content with what we have. We’ve gotten rid of the bad habits we developed because we were miserable in a job making more.
Love this❤
I agree! My job loss wasn't voluntary, and I struggled at first with the loss of my "career." It took months, but I found a part-time job that I enjoy. It pays less, sure, but the expanded free time is so good for our life and my mental health. My previous job would have continued on a downward slide, so in retrospect, I'm glad to be out.
This! I experienced a similar journey
💗💗💗” keeping up with the Joneses” mentality is the opposite of contentment.
This can also be true for kiddos not just adults for sure.
As a Christian, we should strive for contentment, which also brings joy. 😊🙏
Thank you so much for this and blessings!
Sometime in the mid 1990s, I read the first 10 or so pages of a book about Buddhism. It talked about the Four Noble Truths. Even though there are four, I only remembered two of them: The root of all suffering is desire. And, to stop suffering, extinguish your desire. Thinking about this, whenever I found myself walking around in a shopping mall, I would think about how I felt. Did I feel desire? I was usually happy with myself because I didn't want anything. This also showed me that, through self reflection, you can train yourself to stop wanting things.
Just imagine if the need for STUFF and bigger, better EVERYTHING was gone. So much criminal activity to get those things would go away.
"Contentment is a treasure that lasts for ever"
There are so many people who buy, buy, buy but are never satisfied and continue to complain. Why?
They are always looking for the next "best thing" that they think will fill the empty hole within them, that only God can fill!
@@michelesusanne1 amen❤️
Sometimes it's plain old habit.
So true
I love this video. Such an important message. Now that I'm older I don't want very much. It somehow seems harder when we are younger. It would've been great to have had this message in my 30's but maybe I wouldn't have been ready to listen to it. Thank you Joshua for your continuous output of amazing content. I appreciate your channel.
Thank you. I thought I can stop wanting stuff, but my mind is always drawn to go to the store and find something cute and take home.. I am fighting with this thought right now. Your constant reminder is gold, blessings!
I’ve heard some people comment that all of their collections they leave at the store! Whenever they want to go see them they just go visit them at the store instead of bringing them home! 😊. For me, I had to start reminding myself that it’s not gonna look as pretty in my house when it’s surrounded by dozens of other things.
It's a challenge living in and functioning normally amongst consumer society yet not being part of it. 🛒🚫
Benjamin Franklin was one of the greatest. He was always working on being a better person.
My favorite quote of his is "God governs in the affairs of men."
Aahh... and he was a genius :)
That quote is a verse in the Bible 😇
Was he not a womanizer?
I doubt Ben would have said that since he was a theist. Theist don't believe god intervenes.
@@fromnewusa Yes, Ben was a theist - a person who believes in the existence of a God who intervenes in the universe.
Joshua Becker, Wow, this made my day brighter! Thank you!
I have been getting rid of items I don't need ,and I'm loving the decluttered look that I'm working on.I love these videos.
My wife was given 3 months notice at her job today. She works at a bank and it’s being taken over by another bank and they don’t have part time people. So my wife and another part timer were given the ax. She made a little money but I make 6 figures and part of me is like it will be nice to have her off on the weekends now. The other part is like having the extra like 900 a month was nice. I need to work on the need for more and not being content.
It will be a big blessing to have your wife home! Worth way more than money!
Her being home she can actually save money
@@carolannstevens5814thank you and I’m feeling the same way
@@shehnazahmad5213I agree working cost money
Respect for your awareness and direction of acceptance. Throughout my life there have been situations which allow me to redefine and expand 'abundance' and what is actually important to me.
Have noticed the less I have the more I am grateful appreciate and use what is left. ❤
Joshua, you are a class act. Thank you for this beautiful reminder about what is truly important in life. I’m home convalescing from a surgery (all went well) sitting with my precious pets, enjoying the warm breeze and a fresh coconut water. Life is so good.
Spot on! Thank you for another insightful video.
Honestly I Love having You in Life. 😊
Great message ❤ We could all take something from this 😊
Joshua Becker, This video is fantastic! I liked it a lot!
It’s empowering to see how simplifying desires can lead to not only personal peace but also stronger, more genuine relationships. 🔑
Such good counsel-thank you!
Preach it, brother! The struggle is real.
Im a minimalist and work in retail! It saddens me when I see people base their self worth on accumulating alot of stuff! They would have so much more freedom if they embraced a minimalist lifestyle
This is soo true! If you look at the sience about what really makes people happy and content it is not carreers, money nor fame! It is good relationships with family & friends. That kind of richness you can’t buy for money and you might end up lonely and unhealthy but rich in the bank if you don’t priorities right! Greed does not leed to happiness!
As a point of compassion - imagine the power of temptation to wrong-doing if one is struggling to meet BASIC needs of food and shelter and healthcare …
Joshua, I love your channel, your videos and your emails. Thank you for your example, your hard work, and your encouragement.
I wonder if Benjamin Franklin used the word "want" to mean "need" rather than "desire." Because of the century in which he lived, I think what he meant by this proverb was the difficulty of living honestly when a person is in NEED rather than when a person lives with discontent and possibly GREED. When I read the quote in context it it seemed to lend itself to the meaning of need, poverty, or deprivation.
Here's the quotation in context:
I therefore filled all the little spaces, that occurred between the remarkable days in the Calendar, with proverbial sentences, chiefly such as inculcated industry and frugality, as the means of procuring wealth, and thereby securing virtue; it being more difficult for a man in want to act always honestly, as (to use here one of those proverbs), "It is hard for an empty sack to stand upright."
Franklin writes that he filled "all the little spaces" with proverbs which inculcate ("to teach and impress by frequent repetitions or admonitions") industry and frugality, as the means of procuring wealth. I see that industry, frugality and wealth would work against NEED rather than DESIRE.
Here are the definitions of the verb "want" in Merriam-Webster:
intransitive verb
1
: to be needy or destitute
2
: to have or feel need ("never wants for friends")
3
: to be necessary or needed
4
: to desire to come, go, or be ("the cat wants in; wants out of the deal")
transitive verb
1
: to fail to possess especially in customary or required amount : LACK ("the answer wanted courtesy")
2
a
: to have a strong desire for ("wanted a chance to rest")
b
: to have an inclination to : LIKE ("say what you want, he is efficient")
3
a
: to have need of : REQUIRE ("the motor wants a tune-up")
b
: to suffer from the lack of ("thousands still want food and shelter")
4
: OUGHT -used with the infinitive ("you want to be very careful what you say")
-Claudia Cassidy
5
: to wish or demand the presence of
6
: to hunt or seek in order to apprehend ("wanted for murder")
And here's the definition for the noun "want":
want
2 of 2
noun
1
a
: DEFICIENCY, LACK ("suffers from a want of good sense")
b
: grave and extreme poverty that deprives one of the necessities of life
2
: something wanted : NEED, DESIRE
3
: personal defect : FAULT
I think your points in this message are true, but I'm not sure Franklin's quote is saying the same thing.
Thanks again for all you do!
Yes indeed. That’s why I mentioned the original context of the quote in the video. I chose to apply the thought differently.
I compromise myself but not others...but when I can get into gratitude I am more at peace...
It gives me anxiety to buy things. I have lived without TV or furniture as I gave 98% of things away three years ago. It is freeing to not have things.
Thanks a lot 🙏 Joshua this video is very insightful.
Such a great message. Thank you!
Too many millionaires and billionaires are in a constant need of "want".
Greed is never satisfied.
Wanting to take money away from millionaires and billionaires by making them pay more taxes is also a form of greed. It is the want of political power -- the satisfaction that comes from exerting control over other people.
@@mikeg9b I agree about the taxes, although everyone should pay their fair share. But what is happening today is that a lot of the folks at the top keep demanding more and more, while most of the rest of us are struggling to keep up with inflation. Unfortunately, we see this happen a lot in the corporate world. That's not to say that everyone who is rich is greedy. That are some very generous wealthy people out there.
@@mikeg9b You must be a millionaire or billionaire---it seems.
@@fromnewusa There are over 24 million millionaires in the United States, and yes, I am one of them. Other facts about me: My Adjusted Gross Income on my 2023 tax return was less than $49k -- which means that my income was lower than the U.S. average, so probably lower than yours. My net worth is what it is because I lived on less than $20k a year while I was working and invested the rest. I was an enlisted Soldier in the U.S. Army from 1996 to 2016, and spent 2 years deployed to Iraq (2003 and 2010). I retired from the Army in 2016 and now live with and take care of my 89-year-old dad, who is in hospice care with severe dementia. He is also completely bedridden, which means I change his diaper about 4 times a day. So my job right now is "full-time unpaid caregiver." My only car is a 2013 Toyota Prius that I bought in 2013. I will probably drive that car for another 10 years before I buy another one. I buy my groceries from Walmart. I mow my own yard every week. I have never in my adult life gone on a vacation other than visiting my parents. I don't plan on ever taking another vacation for the remainder of my life, since I won't have living parents to visit. My collection of shirts and shorts all come from Walmart and all cost less than $10 each. I have one nice pair of jeans and one old pair that I use to mow the yard. They cost less than $40 each. I bought my old pair of jeans about the time I retired from the Army, so it's over 7 years old. I own one nice suit that I bought for my mom's funeral. I will wear that same suit for my dad's funeral (if it still fits). The last time I ate in a restaurant was when I was still in the Army over 7 years ago. I go through the drive-thru at a Chinese restaurant occasionally, but I have never spent more than $10 for a meal there. The last time I went there was in 2023.
Do I sound like a millionaire to you? There are free-spending, high-consumption millionaires, but obviously, I'm not one of them. My millionaire status is the result of decades of sustained frugality -- and luck in the stock market. I've been frugal for so long, that I can't turn it off. I'm too used to living like a poor person. I'll leave you with a stock tip: a total-market index fund with a low expense ratio is all you need. Put money in every month. The more you put in now, the more you'll end up with later. Do that for 20 years or more, contributing 40% to 50% of your income, and you'll probably be a millionaire too. That's it.
The greatest challenge may be being honest to ourselves. Ask "am I making excuses while pursuing more?" "am I honest to my ultimate true self?"
Goof video. I’m transitioning from a scrapper to minimalist.
Thank you for the video
Great - philosophical and spiritual. A wonderful speech. Thank you.
Ty for sharing❤ (btw how come your hair is always so perfect😂)
Excellent Video!
When you said “minimalism and leading a more virtuous life are not necessarily synonymous”, I immediately thought of Steve Jobs. Yes, he was a minimalist, but virtuous? Absolutely not!
Great video, thank you ❤
Not seen you for a few years, you still look the same and have to say your hair looks gorgeous here. (I'm a barber, I notice these things)
Thanks. And welcome back!
Thank you for the wisdom, Joshua.
Lol. Def helps if someone isn’t an evil narcissist to begin with. Ain’t none of this gonna help someone like that anyways tho. But it def will help all of us decent folks and even half decent folks.
BF’s autobio was what I did my college history class final paper on. Got a solid A on it. Lol. I think what I remember the most was how at the time, he didn’t have much, but bought and ate on a loaf or two of bread only for days on end as he worked and studied diligently. And I found that impressive. My spin on it was how progressive he was for his time. Bcuz that’s what struck me the most about it. Someone “future minded” and not someone who was just living for current instant gratification. It took most others up to 100 years to catch up with him. (As most of his peers seemed to just be always going along with the prescribed status quo of the day). Lol.
Thank you! ❤
You are so right !
Amen.
Thanks.
Wise and truthful message
Agreed 💯❤
In Franklin's time "want" didn't mean desire. It meant "poverty". You pulled a good lesson from your definition of want, but that's not really what Franklin was talking about.
Correct. That’s why I made a point to mention Franklin’s original context and instruction to work diligently and spend frugally. That’s great advice for sure.
Dirty hands clean money
Did this guy ever talk about why he gave up on Christianity?
I didn’t give up on Christianity. Hope that helps.
Just running this, as the rich have some kind of counter against the poor 😂
what else cult want to run?
Comment section is a healing ❤️🩹 journey in its self. Im in the process of becoming likeminded with you all but im not there yet. Thanks for this content
The greatest welth is to live content with little .🌱plato😊thank you joshua👍🤍🌱
One must only look at a Kardashian sort to know that greed is vulgar and offensive to the human spirit.