Why do people really want the possessions they do?
I can tell you straight away it isn’t because of the possessions themselves.
In fact, in most cases, what people really want is to feel a certain kind of way.
And getting that possession, in their mind, is how they feel it.
People want to feel impressive so they buy the new iPhone.
People want to feel cool so they buy the Gucci slides.
People want to feel admired so they buy the BMW.
The problem, of course, with buying things in order to acquire feelings is two fold:
- One, what’s impressive/cool/admired today, won’t be tomorrow. You’ll be stuck in a never ending loop of always needing to upgrade in order to keep reaching forever fleeting feelings.
- Two, the people who make you feel impressive/cool/admired because of possessions and not innate characteristics, won’t be there tomorrow either. They will be just as fleeting as the possessions themselves.
That’s why, the real game isn’t about acquiring the most expensive possessions.
The real game is about learning how to acquire the feelings in spite of the expensive possessions.
Because while band-aids have their role, they should never be prioritized over the main goal: healing—so that band-aids are no longer needed at all.