This is the time of the year we all worry for more.
more exercise
more reading
more things green
And while the desire to better our life is noble, it might do us some good to put such measurement in perspective.
The truth may be, the more we seek is a lie. Often this more we think, obsess, and plan for is only an unreachable construct ripe with guilt and frustration. More tells us there is an ideal amount of something and we assuredly have yet to reach it. It tells us we are less than and if we fail to do something drastic, we will be a failure.
Our modern system of living is rooted in this harmful design. The whole of advertisement rests here. Much of the food we eat, books we read, and products we consume hinge on this. Our human identity defined as lacking something. Religion, at its worst, is built on this: the deficit we all have and the peaks we much reach in order to become more. True religion at its best, and most pure, is when we are met where we are – in hope or despair – and accepted unconditionally.
You are enough. Where you are today, in this present moment, is all you need to be. Off the heels of a devastating year for many, do what you can to breathe in the present, for this is all we have. Don’t let the hope of a new year be hindered by comparison and the search for more. Yes, strive for better, but also show yourself needed grace.
After all, less is more.
Matt simon blog 