Enough is Enough
[. . .] There is no crime more onerous than greed;
No misfortune more devastating than avarice;
And no calamity that brings with it more grief than insatiability.
Therefore, to have enough of enough is always enough~ Doadejing Chapter 46
When Is Enough Enough?
One of the central themes in the Daodejing is the disruption of the natural rhythms of live by society’s obsession with the need to possess more than what is really needed. This desire might not be a crime in itself but, if not controlled properly, can easily lead to the excesses we have witnessed in the financial sectors in recent years. Reading Laozi’s words, it can be argued that today’s prevailing greed and discontent are really mere expressions of uncontrolled desire.
To understand this, we need to make a distinction between simple ‘desire,’ which is a natural human condition, and ‘insatiability,’ the need to possess beyond the necessary. It is the latter that leads to discontent. This restless feeling of not having what we want causes an untamed drive to get it and to make sure we get it in abundance. Sadly enough this often leads to misfortune –– even when we succeed; especially when we succeed.
As the Buddhist scholar Peter Hershock once remarked, “The more we get, the more we want.” This is true, and the problem with it is that the better we get at wanting, the less we want what we are getting. As this endless cycle of wanting and getting continues, the wanting deepens. As a result, we have become unable to find satisfaction in what we have and thus always need more; our level of satisfaction has become increasingly elusive and contemporary society is filled with discontent. What could possibly cure this situation?
Laozi ends his chapter by stating, “to have enough of enough is always enough.” Therein, I find, lies the answer. We need to reconnect with what it is we really need and then dismiss our other desires as unnecessary glamorous fluff. We need to relearn that the most satisfying is to get the most out of what we already have. Once we know that enough is enough, we will always have enough.
[T]here you are.
