As Henry David Thoreau once said, "The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation." This quote embodies the human nature and the way our kind thinks. There are thousands of interpretations of Thoreau's words, but I am delving into this; mankind always wants more. Whether it's a new car or a leaner physique, people are not known to be content. This is not to be confused with the beauty in growth and progress, but sometimes the phrase "Stop to smell the roses" is just a quote and nothing more.
What grabs me about this is that even in Thoreau's time, he realized humans' need for more. In his case, the wanting focused on social strata—having more friends or a better reputation, which is still applicable today. Social media has advanced our abilities to know people across the globe. Not only that, it makes us feel as if we know people we've never even met. For some, it is obvious that their intentions are to connect with those who once made an impact in their lives. High school friendships and neighbors no longer get lost within memories. And as this is the ideal reason anyone uses social media, it's not realistic for the majority. Popularity no longer dissipates with high school. The amount of followers one has or the number likes a picture receives is all proportional to the type of life you're living. It becomes easy to believe that because a post doesn't gain as many likes as someone else's, your life, the words you speak and the people you're friends with all mean less than someone who has a larger audience. And that simply isn't true.
As for other aspects of life, people tend to want more than what they currently have. It doesn't have to be a negative like Thoreau implies, but it does make most people crave more. As a population, there should be a focus on enough:eing enough and having enough; it's very important to feel adequate. In this era, there is a link between having more and living a better life. But it doesn't have to be that way. If we reflect on everything we are, we can idealize the life we want to lead.
Set aside the need for more. More attention online won't deepen your relationship with family. More possessions won't expand the warm memories you make. Facing the fact that most people think more, better allows us to realize that's not always true. Shifting the focus on what is important shifts the direction your life is headed. We can then say that we are enough, that we are living for purpose instead of power.
