What does that phrase mean to you? We could maybe look at it as greed – always wanting more, better, and different. I’ve heard greed defined as “I want it to keep you from getting it”. long ago, I observed my children as infants, toddlers and teenagers, as they had to get it no matter what because they wanted it “right now”!
We’ve been conditioned by big business to always have the latest fashion, the latest car, the latest medicine, even the latest soap detergent — what’s “in”. And big business determines “what’s in.”
But this idea can also apply to many other things in our daily lives. How many of the “I want this – not that”s can you observe as you go through your day? Do you observe the same in others. Maybe we could even run an experiment in seeing that when we get what we wanted the joy in the “getting” lasts how long? Do we still want it or do we immediately move on to another something? Some examples.
I don’t like this boyfriend/girlfriend anymore, I want that guy/girl. She’s prettier, he has more money, he would “take care of me”.
I don’t want this being tied down, I want to be free to do what I want to do when I want to do it..
I don’t want this being alone, I want a companion.
I don’t want to live here, it’s too hot – I want to move to a cooler place – I don’t like so much snow, I want to move to the tropics.
Seems we’re never satisfied with what we have, we find fault with it instead of appreciating it and being thankful for what we already have. We’re always looking for something that will make me “happy” as if that were a permanent state of being. How long have you ever experienced happiness?
So as we observe ourselves and others through the day; it can be interesting to see where this idea of “this and that” is working.
I don’t like “this”. I want “that”. And the minute you get “that” in your little hot fist, what is it?
It’s a “this”, right?. So now I don’t like it for very long — it’s old, it’s boring. And here goes the struggle that most people are in. I’ve just got to have “that” – I don’t like “this”.
And here is a strange thing that you will find runnin’ through everbody’s mind. I don’t like “this” but take a look – “this” is always in the present. Where is the “that” – it’s always in the future.
And so the “that” is made it into a goal and is glomed onto as very important because I’ll be “in”, “healthy”, “happy”. Does that ever happen on a permanent basis? When we get it, it’s now a “this” and I tire of it quite quickly.
So a person tears themselves to pieces to gain a goal – once they get it, it’s suddenly not good enough, it’s old, it didn’t produce what I thought it would — what was promised – the thing, the circumstance or the event is no longer of any interest – one is then looking for another “that”.
Just to see what’s going on can be of value. Look around and see what you can see?