Is Bigger Really Better?

 It seems like the American dream has become a race to get more “stuff”.  We have become programmed to want more stuff, but it has to be BIG stuff, the largest house, the biggest car, the biggest screen and the most calorie ridden meal. But do we really need all these big things? I’m going to go against the American dream and say no.

What’s on the Agenda

      ·   The high cost of big things

      ·   Less things= more of everything else

      ·   Small is the new big

  

Debt-topia

The more we own, the more we owe. It has become a common practice nowadays to simply swipe a card, or sign on the dotted line for a loan, to pay for the things we want. Not many people save up for something and then make the purchase after they have enough cash. I can’t imagine someone paying cash for a house, but still. Instead of asking “how much do I need?” it has been twisted into “How much can I afford?”. After we buy all this stuff, it takes lots more resources to maintain and keep it all. Big is inefficient.  When we get the bigger house or bigger car, we buy into bigger bills to heat and fuel that lifestyle. We pay more than we bargained for because all this stuff makes us pay more than we need to, let alone more than we can afford.

Fun with statistics

      ·      The average American has between $8,000- $11,000 worth of credit card debt.

      ·      The average mortgage rate in the U.S. is 30 years, with 93% of those payments going towards interest               alone.

      ·      The average student has $20,000 in debt from college at graduation. On average, taking 10+ years to pay that off and paying $6,000 or more in interest.

      ·      As of January 2011, the average new car loan was 5 yrs and 2 months in length. The average car payment was $378 a month.

All this debt comes with lots anxiety and stress. I for one hate worry about money, bills, and fees. Does more stuff really mean more happiness? I remember fantasizing about how my dream home will have a library, an indoor green house, and lots more “stuff”.  Now that I’m a bit older, and have had a taste of reality, is all that stuff really necessary? What is life really about, or more importantly, what really makes us happy?

Less IS more

Life isn’t about “stuff”, it’s about the experience, memories and adventures, that we live. Looking back when we are old and grey, what do you think will bring us the most joy? That big empty house that we purchased, or the things that we experienced and shared? You can’t measure happiness, it is an idea; it’s all in our head.  When we spend less on things, we have more time and resources on everything else; the more important things in life. Most of us spend the majority of our life working. We work because we have to pay off our debt, the debt we acquired to pay for our things. We have these things because they are suppose to make us happy. One thing that most people believe in, is that life is short. We only have one life and we only live for so long. It turns out, most people hate their job. If everyone can agree that life is to short, then why do we spend so much of it doing something we hate? 

Life is too important and precious to spend unhappy or doing something you don’t enjoy. When you have less things, you get more of everything else. You can work less (or maybe at something you enjoy), trying to pay off our things, and spend more time on what really matters. The most important things in life can’t be bought, they must be lived.

Small is the new Big

So what’s the point of this whole post anyways, what is the moral of the story? The moral of the story today is that we don’t need to be wasteful and use lots and lots of resources for our happiness. The more stuff we own, the more it owns us. We all need to remember what makes us happy in life, and don’t lose sight of that when asking the question “how much do I need”. Buy what you need, be resourceful, and spend the rest of your time and money on what really matters. The less resources we use, not only means there is more to go around for other generations and individuals, but we have more of everything else. Be thrifty. Be efficient. Be open minded. I know we all need a job to be self sustaining, and I’m not saying we should all quit our 9-5 to become a care-free beach bum , all I’m looking for is a little self reflection!

I hope I didn’t offend anybody with this post, I just hope I was able to make a difference. If you agree or enjoyed this post, please share it with your family and friends. Everyone can use a bit of enlightenment every once in awhile.

~Daniel

"The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt with the heart."

-Helen Keller