#388

"We drink too much, smoke too much, spend too recklessly, laugh too little, drive too fast, get too angry, stay up too late, get up too tired, read too little, watch TV too much. We have multiplied our possessions but reduced our values. We talk too much, love too seldom, and hate too often. We've learned how to make a living but not a life. We've added years to life, not life to years."

George Carlin

Does this sound accurate to you? Even though this quote originated prior to 2008, doesn't it feel as though these attitudes have accelerated even since that time? Whatever happened to living a life of moderation?  Doesn't it seem like everything is over the top? Costs are too high.... does the quality of life rise along with the higher cost of living? Parents are working too much, children are alone too much, everyone is plugged into their devices, with no actual face time or awareness of their surroundings. Also global warming is a fact... everything is totally out of balance.

We, as a society, have everything we ever thought we could want and yet so many are alone, unfulfilled, depressed and unhappy. All of these factors create unnecessary stress which often manifests into illness. We have abandoned the true meaning of life, and therefore, sacrificed our happiness. 

I think, like every generation, we wanted to surpass those that came before us, have more of the things our parents lacked. We wanted to climb higher up the ladder and accumulate to prove our worth and/or our success. Perhaps we need to take a look at what we have given up to acquire all this stuff.

The best things in life are not things.