After our experience yesterday afternoon, I’d add Amish to the quote below, but also make sure not to limit the list to “Judeo-Christian” denominational flavors. Buddhists, pagans, and secular humanists scurry & scramble equally in their endless quest for that elusive more as well, and they are every bit as “religious.”
My oldest son was recently asked “don’t you want more?” when he questioned the value of returning to university to finish his degree. What a wonderful opportunity for the father in me! My response to him was “more what?” More gazmos and gitdgets? More debt? An increase in servitude? That pursuit never ends. I’d prefer more freedom. In my philosophy, less is more.
See, I had the advantage of growing up in a home with scarce financial resources, and blessed to have never been fooled into thinking that more in itself is a valid solution to the challenges associated with living the human experience.
“…although Lutherans, Baptists, Jews, Mormons, and Catholics hold different religious views, they are remarkably alike when encountered outside of church or synagogue. They hold similar jobs and have similar career ambitions. They live in similar homes, furnished in a similar manner. And they lust to the same degree for whatever consumer products are currently in vogue.” ~William B. Irvine, A Guide to the Good Life: The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy