CHASING THE AMERICAN DREAM

Simplicity and contentment is the true happiness. But most people try and buy happiness with money so people work hard but money goes through their hands like sand goes through your hands you cannot hold money or sand for long in your hands; too many holes, leaks. We are not water tight light we are not absolutely disciplined. We leak. We are cracked pots (metaphor).

We start simple in life but soon we covet as much material as we can. Capitalism is based on having one’s own capital. But coveting and desiring can lead to carrying much baggage. We get heavy laden.

In later life we learn to do without materialism and life goes back to being simple. We are born simple, we get very complex, then we go back to simplicity.

No matter how much you teach on simplicity to the young they will not want to listen. For the young it’s all about wants. The wise are about needs. Older people are less about wants and more about needs.

Wanting gives us purpose in life. Needs are okay but wants are better. We work when we can get wants. Who wants to just work for needs. We want comfort. We want luxury comforts. We want to be pampered. We want to satisfy our mortal desires. We want to rest and relax. Capitalism is chiefly about wants. Capitalism gives us hope in our working. We work to build up our nest and make ourselves more comfortable. We work to get our dream. Our dream is based on the American Dream. Hollywood shows us this dream. Capitalism is about the American Dream. It’s like a lotto, we chase the American Dream, some get it others do not.

No one wants to forfeit the American Dream for a life of simplicity based on needs. We watch movies coming out of Hollywood and it’s like following a religion. The key to capitalism is money so it’s work and earn money and also often buy the lotto ticket. We feed our dream and never give up, this is hope. Hollywood feeds our dream.

Mean while Lester preaches on good sense but the world has already made up their mind they follow the worldly dream. It’s off to the news agent for them to buy a lotto ticket.

Apostle Paul writes about “running a (figurative) race”. Or in the Bible there’s written scripture about a Mountain. We can climb a figurative Mountain. But to run a race or climb a Mountain we must be disciplined, we must carry very little. Discipline means carrying little. The more you carry the more you are slowed down. We compete to win. We run to win the race. We run to get to the highest heaven. We climb to get to the top. The Bible may call the Wisdom of Christ as being a figurative Mountain. You get to the top you are at the top beside God Spirit. At the top you see, you know.

When people lose hope of the American Dream they resort to things like drinking alcohol to sedate their senses. They drink alcohol like they drink water. Or they take drugs.

Anyone want to know Jesus Christ. I don’t preach religion. I have not much time for religion now. Religion did help me for quite a while. Religion is mainly the world. But religion is a cradle preparing one to become Wise like Jesus Christ. Religion is mainly human wisdom of the world. But we do not get Christ Wise right away it takes time. Jesus on earth grew in Wisdom. We also grow in Wisdom. We come under human wisdom until we are Wise enough of Christ to break free of human wisdom. We break free of religion.

Yours Sincerely; Lester John Murray.