Pay the price

I listen to people complain about what they don't have. I hear people complain about what they do have. I hear about entitlements and my rights. I hear about what I should have, and want I have to have. Then I hear about raising the minimum wage and how things cost too much. All of these things make me think of a saying my father often used, having a Champagne taste and a beer pocketbook.

I'm thinking the majority of Americans are getting that way. More of us feeling deprived in some fashion when we don't have everything our neighbor has. More and more of us feeling that those that have less, are less, in some way. No more do you see poor but proud, now it is poor but defiant. Poor and angry in some cases. Humility does seem to be a dirty word these days. What does it mean to be humble, to display humility ? It doesn't mean being someone's doormat or being inferior in some way. That seems to be the idea people get, but it is not so. Humility is showing modesty or being respectful towards others. We need a little more humility in this country in my opinion.

So where does this Champagne taste come from ? Is it from the advertisers of products that create this desire ? The constant barrage of " you need this or that ? " All these products that guarantee your " quality of life. " Could it stem from a move toward materialism and away from the spiritual ? I really don't like he word materialism, it sounds pretentious to me, but is an apt description. It expresses that thought that you need a lot of material things to be happy. Those things beyond the basic necessities of life. Being material implies that need to acquire stuff. The problem comes in when deciding how much stuff is enough ? For some they never reach that point. I'm not talking about hoarders, I am talking about normal everyday people. How much to do you need to satisfy yourself ? How much do you need to satisfy others ? That second question leads us to the crux of this Champagne taste and beer pocketbook mentality. It also speaks to the maturity of the individual.

I think what Dad was trying to tell me with his use of that phrase was that sometimes enough is enough. He was saying that you don't need everything that you see. He was saying it is alright to be satisfied with what you have, even if someone else seems to have better. That thought and attitude was shown to me in other ways as well. When I wanted a car I got a used one. I made repairs to it, paid the insurance on it and it was mine. I appreciated that car and took care of it. I knew some that had brand new cars that their parents had paid for or financed in some way. They didn't seem to have the same appreciation for that car. Maybe I am wrong about that but it is what I saw. Oh, I had that Champagne taste, but alas I had a beer pocketbook. I didn't think so at the time, but looking back the beer tasted really good. I once purchased a brand new car. The taste went flat after the first six payments. I haven't ordered Champagne since. Live and learn. 

Everything is based on supply and demand. The more we demand the harder it is to supply that demand. That is why the cost keeps rising. If we were to lower our demands the supply would be larger and easier to fill. It is a simple concept. When are demands are met we feel content. When we are content we are happy. This drive, this desire for the Champagne is causing a lot of unrest. Those with less feeling they should get more, and those with more feeling they are superior. And because they have more, have a larger pocketbook, the taste is fading and they are demanding more. Like any addict they can't get enough. And like all addicts the cure must come from within. And within, lies the spiritual. What is the desire of the spiritual person ? I think for most it would have to be peace and happiness. Are those attainable ? Yes, of course they are. The human spirit is capable of achieving anything. Can you measure it ? No you can not. And that may be the problem for some of us. We need to measure it and prove it. I have more money, more success, more friends, or more whatever. I am smarter, I can prove it by taking a test. I can run faster, jump higher. But I can not prove my contentment to you. I may have less material things, so therefore I am less. Occasionally those with " less " catch the attention of those that have. Then that person is considered "exceptional " and given recognition. The poor, unfortunate soul that somehow, remarkably " proved " themselves. But should that be surprising to us ? I don't think so. Is not each of us capable of the same ?

If I have a champagne taste and a beer pocketbook it also implies that I have to somehow settle for less. The implication being, champagne is better than beer. But isn't that a subjective thing ? Can you prove it ? Not by me you can't. So, for me anyway the true meaning of that phrase is, devout more time to enjoying the things you have, rather than yearning for the things you do not. Peace and happiness cannot be measured except by our own standard. That standard is set within your mind. When you can reconcile your mind with your soul, you will have achieved peace and happiness. It doesn't take much in the way of material things to accomplish that, the growth required however does come at a price. And sometimes the price to be paid is in humility. You must be willing, even eager, to pay that price.