👋 Hey phi-lazy-phers
This week’s issue is all about things. Don’t worry, it’s not an attempt to convince you to rid yourself of all possessions while living on the street in a barrel as Diogenes did. Instead, the underlying theme of this issue focuses on the importance of being mindful you don’t become “possessed” by your possessions, or by the assumption you need that new thing to be happy. The point is not to Marie-Kondo your entire life, but my hope is that you won’t let what others flex on social media (or in-person) fill you with as much jealousy or desire since you, likely, already have all you need to live a fulfilling life.
Sound good? Cool. Let’s see what some of our favorite minds have to say about possessions.
Seneca:
Until we have begun to go without them, we fail to realize how unnecessary many things are. We've been using them not because we needed them but because we had them.
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Diogenes
It is the privilege of the gods to want nothing, and of godlike [people] to want little.
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Epicurus
It is better for you to be free of fear lying upon a pallet than to have a golden couch and a rich table and be full of trouble…Not what we have, but what we enjoy, constitutes our abundance.
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Bertrand Russell
It is preoccupation with possessions, more than anything else, that prevents us from living freely and nobly.
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Peace Pilgrim
Anything you cannot relinquish when it has outlived its usefulness possesses you, and in this materialistic age a great many of us are possessed by our possessions.
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Seneca
It is not the man who has too little, but the man who craves more who is poor.
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Achaan Chaa (on getting a new item, specifically a drinking glass)
For me this glass is already broken. I enjoy it; I drink out of it. It holds my water admirably, sometimes even reflecting the sun in beautiful patterns. If I should tap it, it has a lovely ring to it. But when I put this glass on the shelf and the wind knocks it over or my elbow brushes it off the table and it falls to the ground and shatters, I say, ‘Of course.’ When I understand that the glass is already broken, every moment with it is precious.
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Epicurus
Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not; remember that what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for.
Nothing is enough to the [person] for whom enough is too little.
This seems like a good moment to pause and look around at all the possessions you already have. Go ahead. Most of them are things you had desired in the past and now own. Think of how far you’ve come to be able to acquire these things. Focus on what you have rather than what is missing. There’s also a positive climate impact when reducing how many new things we buy…but we’ll save that for a future issue.
Confession: I needed these reminders as much as anyone else. I’m moving in a few weeks and have already caught myself dreaming of all the things I “need” for the new space 🙃
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Thanks for reading this issue—it’s my hope Lazy Philosophy will provide you with real value each week. If you have suggestions on what topics you’d like to see covered in future issues, reply to this post or DM me on Twitter.
✌️Until next week, happy philosophizing.
Upcoming Issues:
Identity & Self
Anxiety
Change