Are we allowed to be satisfied with what is?

Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment - Buddha

Consumerism, which is at the heart of so much human activity these days, drives us to be unhappy with the present moment. It tells us that there is always a better gadget, piece of clothing or car to be had. We are also being told constantly there is a better body to be had if only we do specific exercises, eat certain ways or get certain body modifications. In essence, the powerful theme of our society is to never be satisfied with what is.

We see this is many other ways - the need for a better job, higher salary, better house. But where do we talk about being accepting with who you are at this moment. It is as though that is not a permissible reality.

Underlying all of this is judgment - comparison between ourselves and others. The societal notion is that we are either better than or worse than - and it matters! There is constant misery in that. Inherent in the thinking is that we are never good enough.

If we enter that competition (and few of us have ever managed to not) self satisfaction is virtually impossible. There is always somebody smarter, better at, richer, more advanced, better educated and so on. It also means there can be no internal satisfaction if external comparisons are the way in which our worth is measured.  We will always be on the edge. Self compassion that accepts who we are allows us to jump in to acceptance.

This breath

This moment

Is all there is

Why do we search

For something that is not

© Peter Choate, 2016