More is Better

Anyone else seen the AT&T commercials lately that have the small kids in them? The dialogue is along the lines of, "We all want more, more is better, right?" "Doing two things at once is better than one, right?" "Fast is better! Everything needs to go faster!"

These commercials irk me. I get what they are trying to sell: We're the bigger, better network, we have more abilities the other guys don't. However, reducing it down to life in general makes me livid.

This is part of the gaping whole in our world's psyche. The idea that more is always better. Quantity over quality. The idea that you could and should always be doing more.

There are so many parables, fables, tales about appreciating what you have that are going to be foreign to this generation. How can you expect children to appreciate what they have when they have been brought up believing that you should always be looking toward the next thing, the next step up.

How many parents buy new electronics as soon as they come out?
"What's wrong with your old one?"
"Nothing."
"Then why are you replacing it?"
"Oh, well, the new one is faster, has more pixels, is bigger (or smaller), etc."

If you think your kid isn't paying attention, you are sorely mistaken. What about when you talk about how small your house is or how you wished you lived in THAT neighborhood, had THAT car, had MORE money. They are listening.

Why not show some gratitude for what you have? Why not encourage your child to slow down and enjoy the now without needing to find their next fix of "more". They'll spend their entire life chasing their tail and constantly feeling jealous and deprived, if you don't be the good example of how to live a slower, less cluttered and yet fuller life.