House Envy of a friend

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:15:24 - this is the most judgmental thing I have read in a very, very long time. How do you know what *anyone* needs?

The misunderstanding of the day. It's not at all judgmental at all, and I of course don't claim to know, or be able to know, what anyone needs or doesn't need, or should or shouldn't need. It is simply one way to define reality, and a reflection of a state of the mind -- the state of mind of thinking oneself as needing, or doesn't needing, a particular thing, which may or may not be reality. I need a number of things, and I don't need a number of things. Perhaps my neighbor doesn't need, and therefore doesn't have (and doesn't "have to have"), some things that I have or I need to have, and to which I have become attached (and therefore I fear losing, and therefore I fear, and therefore I can potentially suffer), and in that sense, my neighbor is "richer" (i.e. more satisfied with reality) than I am. At the extreme, a person who doesn't need absolutely anything (who of course doesn't exist) is the richest person of all. And a wealthy person who constantly fears losing his wealth is poorer, because his mind is, to an extent, occupied with suffering. The conqueror, by having to constantly keep guard of his conquest, becomes a slave of the thing he conquered.

Which reminds me of what Saint Francis of Assisi said, "I desire few things, and the few things I desire, I desire them just a little bit."

And all of this is tangential to this thread, of course. But, can you imagine living a life in which one fears absolutely no envy for anyone else, and one is just purely happy for others' good fortunes, and purely compassionate for others' misfortunes? Absolutely no envy.

[Anonymous]

15:24 - this is the most judgmental thing I have read in a very, very long time. How do you know what *anyone* needs?

It is a common saying, the point of which is that many of our "needs" are actually "wants" and we should try to be happy with what we have. Sorry you haven't heard of it before.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

15:24 - this is the most judgmental thing I have read in a very, very long time. How do you know what *anyone* needs?

It is a common saying, the point of which is that many of our "needs" are actually "wants" and we should try to be happy with what we have. Sorry you haven't heard of it before.

This sort of reminds me of reading the children's story "It Could Always Be Worse" and discussing with my kids if happiness is a state of mind. The gist of the folk tale is that the poor unfortunate man lived in a one room hut with his mother, wife, and six kids in a one room hut. He goes to get advice because he is unhappy with the noise and cramped space. The advice is to first add his chickens, then eventually goat, then cow to his household. Complete chaos reigns. Then the advice is to take all the animals back. That night the man slept peacefully and felt like he was going home to a roomy home. Problem solved.