Tag Archives: tunnel vision

The Disease of Excess

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“Greed is a bottomless pit which exhausts the person in an endless effort to satisfy the need without ever reaching satisfaction.” —Erich Fromm

“Greed is the disease of discontentment.” —Miguel Ruiz

“Greed is not a financial issue. It’s a heart issue.” —Andy Stanley

Is enough ever enough? Society’s obsession with excess is like an uncontrolled cancer…infecting, disabling, and destroying us from the core. This sad, sick need for more “things” is the metastasization of a collective crippling inadequacy, falsely convincing us that more toys, cars, and vacations mean the Swiss cheese holes of our disintegrating self-esteem will suddenly, magically be made whole.

On an inexhaustible quest to collect and possess, the plastered porcelain smiles and lifeless eyes tell a story of meaningless mundanity presented as aspiration, not the satisfied rewards earned from pouring passion into purpose.

Yet, we adjust the blinders, focus that familiar tunnel vision, and ignore the fact that being a king who sits on top of a mountain of shit is not a symbol of any powerful ascendancy. It’s a sad reflection of the countless sagging, sore shoulders it took to propel him to the peak.

Native Americans believed that a single member of the group absconding off with the spoils of the hunt—hoarding resources without sharing anything with the rest of the tribe—signaled a form of mental illness. An individual thinking that he or she was more worthy or important than the community was unfathomable.

Now, this abhorrent behavior is praised and idolized, without even a hint of ironic recognition.

Medical professionals constantly report and warn of a national mental health crisis and the implications and dangers of its unabated growth.

Looks like we may have to widen the parameters of that research.

Adolescence Interrupted

New Puzzle, New Pieces

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Duck and jab. Bob and weave. I thought I moved to Los Angeles to pursue a life of creative exploration. Little did I know, I was simply training to be a prizefighter. This journey has been less about producing art and more about the ability to take a punch and remain standing.

So I refuse to fall. If every path were a straight line, there would be no satisfaction at the finish. If the attainment of goals was as simplistic as checking off boxes on a list, we’d all feel grossly overcompensated for the paltry energy output and stolen shortcuts. There is a sense of earned accomplishment when the road to success is littered with landmines. Unfortunately, those bombs have a sneaky knack for detonation.

Still, this recent realignment has painted my canvas with a fresh coat of hope. I have to remember that each time barriers were built to slow my progress, I looked back fondly on those obstacles as reminders that I veered off course. Thankfully, many of those failed intentions would have been disastrous, and the universe made sure I was forced to see outside the tunnel. It’s not our job to question why one door closes, but to look carefully for the next handle to turn.

This year will be loaded with constant steps toward the light of possibility. Lessons never cease to be learned, and those scrapes and bruises give us the time and space necessary to heal and plan.

Adolescence Interrupted

In Fits and Starts

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Momentum is a dynamic thing. Valleys frequently follow hilltops, and there’s little we can do but ride the coaster. Positivity, focus, and motivation are excellent emotional catalysts, but the globe spins to its own drum beat, regardless of how many laws of attraction are added to our daily to-do lists. We can angst and fret and project and stress, or we can release what is beyond our control and wait to catch the next wave. The universal laws of balance have a way of working themselves out.

This is a classic “practice what you preach” cautionary tale, and it’s one I should shoot into my earholes post-haste. Who are these people who think about impending events the day before they occur, instead of months in advance? How are these unicorns bred to simply and casually adapt to unforeseen circumstances, as opposed to methodically planning every conceivable attack plan, should a situation arise that upsets the setup? Where is this flow that everyone is going with, and how can my brain get excited about taking a tube ride into river rapids? It all feels wildly precarious, yet many people seem to find the firmest ground when their feet aren’t planted.

Smooth roads are an illusion as tangible as total control. A burst of good news is routinely trailing behind discouragement and vice versa. Perhaps tunnel vision, eyes-on-the-prize thinking is the safest means of travel. An ostrich with its head in the sand never feels the rain fall.

But it never sees the sun rise.

Adolescence Interrupted