HOW MUCH DOES LIFE COST?
This question, when I saw it, really peaked my interest.
We live in unusual financial times, and times that to boil things down to their simplest, have been caused by human greed pure and simple. My life has been directly impacted even though I followed what the conservative wise told me to do; but not impacted in as dire a way as many. I think we all have been touched. So, how much does life cost?
"The cost of a thing is the amount of what I will call life, which is required to be exchanged for it, immediately or in the long run.
--Henry David Thoreau
Consider the young man who was doing great in his high school studies, then suddenly started to fall behind. One day, a teacher pulled the young man aside and asked him what happened. The student told him that he had asked his father for a car, and the father told him that if he earned the money, he could have one. The student, being industrious and hard working, went out, got a job, saved the money, and bought the car. But then the car needed insurance, gas, and maintenance, so the student kept the job to keep up the car. The job took up more and more of his time, until finally he began to fall behind in his studies.
"Why don't you just get rid of the car?" asked the teacher.
"Get rid of the car?" came the reply. "How would I get to my job?"
How often we feel that if we just get that new car, that new boyfriend or girlfriend, that promotion, or the condo in the good neighbourhood, we will find happiness and contentment -- only to discover that the thing just brings with it more pain, more costs, and more bother than it's worth. The new sports car runs only half the time, the new partner needs more care than your dog, the promotion eats up your weekends, and the new condo won't allow pets.
Things don't bring true happiness. Instead, they often sap your strength and leave you emptier than you were before. Think about the true cost of a thing before you pursue it in time, lifestyle changes, energy, maintenance and money. Can you really afford the amount of life that the thing will take from you in return for the happiness it brings? Are you willing to pay the price?
God, help me be aware of the true cost of the things in my life."
I have been on a journey of life recovery for many years. When I started, I had no real concept of what it cost me to lose my self-respect and hit my low point. With a journey that includes much reflection, I am staggered by the costs- and costs more valuable than just money- that were incurred.
I see it in relationships, particularly with my children. I see it in things I should have accomplished but didn't, and of course being a person who lived high for the day and with grandiosity, I see it in my financial situation. Don't get me wrong, I see it, accept it, and do the best I can do in the day and do not regret my past. I have a better idea of what life cost me by appreciating and being grateful for the chances afforded me and the things that happened that allowed me to positively accept those chances. Man, to get to where I am it cost a lot!
Do yourself a favor and take a few minutes to reflect today on how much life has cost you. If you've had an awakening and have things going the right way, congratulations and share your "hows" with others. If you don't like the answers you are getting, and you continue to pay a price that is too high, feel free to get in touch with me at khbray@hopeserenity.ca. Perhaps my experience can help point you on a new path.
