When I say that lack is an illusion, I get a lot of push back from people. It is not that everyone has access to everything. It is that when we shift our mindset, the lack does not pain us in the same way. Things do not make us happy. Are there things that can be improved or even solved by an influx of cash? Sure. I still assert that it is in focusing on what we do not have that we create our suffering. You may point to the privilege in my background. I point to those long stretches where I lived off of powdered mashed potatoes and slept on floors.

Be content with what you have; rejoice in the way things are. When you realize there is nothing lacking, the whole world belongs to you.
-Lao Tzu

The above teaching tells us that it is the act of wanting things that creates suffering and distracts us from enlightenment. The Buddha taught that it is our attachment to things that causes us suffering. Focusing on stuff is problematic.

What are the things that you want? Do you tell yourself that things will be better when you have what you want? Even when you attain those things, don’t you just want more?

What do you think those things will bring you? What is it you actually want? Happiness? Focus on the body feel of happiness. Contentment? Focus on the body feel of contentment. Safety? What does it feel like in your body to be safe? You don’t need the things to have those feelings.

In what ways do you open yourself up for false messages of what you “need” in order to be happy? What are the messages of lack in your life? How do you allow the world to tell you that you are not enough?

We live in a society that is fed by your illusion of lack. The more you think you are missing, the more you line the pockets of the owners of businesses, and all that you get is misery.

Let’s try something else. Spend one week doing your best to avoid messages of lack. Yes, this close to Giftmas.

This post is part of a series called Monday Message, based on that day’s reflection from 365 Days to Enlightenment (authorized versions are currently out of print, working on a new edition). Check back next Monday for another one! You can also sign up for the Daily Message on my mailing list if you’d like to receive a new reflection every day. I also often post them to Instagram, if that’s a medium you enjoy.