Thanksgiving is a powerful holiday of life-teaching lessons. We learn at school the definition of gratitude, to count our blessings. Our teachers and mentors taught us to be thankful to whom and what we have in our lives. We may or may not take the advice while saying grace over big bird, but we learn that on this holiday one should feel lucky. Heck – lucky for being alive.
Today I’m not here to check in on the weight or importance of gratitude, nor am I preaching for self-righteousness. I am here to write about the act of giving in its relatable context. We may think that giving is not an easy task, which is true by the way. We all want to donate, have the urge to give to charity and take on philanthropic acts for our community and the world. Easier said than done – no judgement here. Our busy times and fast pace of life allows no time to contribute or give in the literal sense.
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This is why I came up with a way to give back to society and contribute. If we look around our spaces, let us try and count 5 objects that we HAVE but do not NEED. They might exceed the number 5, at least I can say that about myself.
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This year, instead of blaming ourselves for not giving, how about we contribute in a way where we do not TAKE. Holiday seasons are here. Which means we are targeted by commercial Americanism. The overflow of merchandise is also here. This year I will contribute to society by avoiding unnecessary purchases. In other words, no takeouts, no cinema (I’ll try), no new boots, coats, bags, shoes nor the latest Beats headphones. No unnecessary expenses.
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Self-sufficiency is what I aim for. If we think for a second why we should be giving up goods, I’ll remind myself of the hundreds and thousands of people who literally have nothing left but the shirts on their backs. The biggest refugee crisis in humanity in our modern times, then I know why I do not need unwanted bullshit in my closet.
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To overcome the desire of materialism in the world of mainstream products is a big deal. Especially with all the great “discounts” we think are going around us. I am going to live with what I have and what I only need.
My options to give or sell my extras are through eBay, a local thrift shop, or donate to the Salvation Army. My parents criticize us as a generation with an abundance of objects, where nothing impresses us anymore. We should stand against ourselves and look around the tangible world around us. Shopping does not buy us happiness, but putting a smile on a lonely orphan refugee will definitely make us happy. We all want change and to live in a sustainable world. The first step is to shift little habits that condone the big ones, to give up objects.
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Let us do this together and overcome the material world. It is simple. No unnecessary purchases.We can learn humbleness and humility with the following: No products. No extra expenses. No more. And if we save a penny, good for us. We don’t need to eat till we feel full, it only takes to fill a quarter of our stomachs to be well fed.
arbnyc 