We all have priorities in life, things that we value over other things. And we spend our time and energies pursuing those priorities. What I find is that our stated priorities don’t always match up with our lived-out priorities. What we say and what we do are different.
Our proverb for today speaks volumes. Our society is built on pretending to be a somebody. The fact that we can borrow money to buy a big house, SUV, boat and summer home all on a promise to someday pay it back; this is pretending. It is hard for us to live our reality. What would people think?
The recent financial crisis fueled by the housing bubble illustrates this very well. Banks were willing to lend, in fact told to lend, to those who did not have the ability to pay back. People were encouraged to live above their means, way above what they could really afford. As portrayed in some movies, their houses would look just fine on the outside, but they were empty on the inside. Things would get sold at a fraction of the cost just to keep food on the table. Mattresses ended up on the floor rather than held in an overpriced bedroom suite.
I hate seeing people arriving for their food stamps in a Ford Escalade. They are pretending to be somebody and they have no food. They have cable TV showing on their 60’ screen, but not the necessities of life. They have the electronic toys, but no toilet paper.
Living simply is much easier to pull off. Once the mental adjustment has been made, you simply ask, “Do I NEED this?” If the answer is no, it can be shifted to the second category. After all the NEEDS have been met, then the second category can be examined. Needs and wants are two very different things.
But how can a nobody afford a servant? We couldn’t in our culture, but in theirs it was easy. Their servants were often young adolescents without a home. They served for a place to sleep and their food. It was very inexpensive to have a servant. Having a servant meant you had enough.
I don’t like the pressures of being a somebody. When the bills are coming due, and the money is dwindling, pressure! Right now as we transition to the next phase of our lives we have two houses, two mortgages, two utilities, two insurances, two maintenances. You get the picture. But this is just for a season. When we make the transition, we won’t have any mortgages. Pressure gone!
Work at living who you are instead of who you want others to think you are.
The Arnold Journey 