"Enough is enough" or is it? My father said this while we were chatting about something. I was wondering whether enough actually was ever enough and who decided as to what was just enough or a little too much or may be just not enough. How does one conclude if something is adequate, who is the best person to judge this. Gandhiji's quote is quite appropriate here,"There is enough for everyone's need but not for everyone's greed!"
But the story of homo sapiens is essentially a story of greed, greed for money, food, lifestyle, material stuff.If we were all contented, we would probably have stayed as cave dwellers. Greed is thus good just that we must know where do we limit it. We have had politicians who have amassed assets which would probably suffice for seven generations to follow, but they are not satisfied and even that is not enough for them. Similarly the billionaires Bill Gates, Elon Musk, Warren Buffets and our own Ambanis and Adanis have wealth way beyond anyone's imagination, we would run out of zeros when the total value is calculated.
There is a famous folklore of "Niyanve ka fer (the curse of 99)", there was this fakir, who did not have anything to boast of, lived off the land, under a tree, free from any encumbrances, always cheerful. The king was envious of this fakir who despite being a pauper seemed in eternal bliss. He consulted his Wazir, who said that just hand over 99 gold coins to him and watch the fun. Sure enough, when the fakir got these 99 gold coins, greed followed surreptitiously. Now the fakir wanted that one additional coin to make it to 100 and set about working rather than relaxing and once he got the hundred then the chain reaction was triggered, he wanted to add another hundred and so on, his life was ruined, no longer in bliss, just running after that elusive figure which would be "enough".
Greed for lip smacking delicacies is of another level altogether, the person concerned knows that every morsel which is gobbled up is adding to the already excess calories which will stubbornly refuse to be shed once added. Pot belly is a bank which is unique, it just multiplies, how I wish, our banking system developed a similar trait, when you can just see it grow. Our bank accounts on the contrary are like the furry pets, constantly shedding, by the month end they eagerly await the next tranche much like the starved person longing for his next meal. Overdoing it just adds to the number of visits to the loo, but then the weakness of flesh overrides the sane counsel being provided by the mind. If Yudhishthira had understood that enough was enough, there won't have been any Mahabharata. Alas, it was not to be.
We all have heard of the Midas touch, which itself was a curse, King Midas was rewarded by Dionysus that everything he touched would turn to gold. Sure enough, his food, his beloved daughter and any and everything turned inanimate gold. Greed is the sure recipe for disaster in the long term, especially if it seeks personal gains only be it material or physical.
On the contrary, Capitalism is all about greed and ambition, as Deng Xiao Ping famously said,"It is glorious to be rich". Swearing by Marx and communism, they could accommodate and justify greed as that was the only path to salvation. Even we Indians did a course correction from the idealism of socialism and liberalised the economy. For James Bond "World was not enough", Musk has gone ahead and proved it by literally setting out to the outer space. It was only Ashoka the Great who decided 'enough was enough' after Kalinga War, the mindless violence having taken its toll, wonder when Putin and Biden- Zelensky would be convinced that enough is actually enough.
(The link to the article published in Free Press Journal
https://epaper.freepressjournal.in/Home/Mindex?eid=2&edate=12/03/2023&pgid=10206&sedId=0&uemail=)
23 comments:
To be contented with whatever you posses,one has to look inwards.Difficult but achievable.The more contended you are, more happier you are.
Once again a nice article Suyash which makes me ponder on human weaknesses.
Thought provoking. Well written Suyash.
Nice take on enough Suyash
Articulated well enough!!
As always an interesting take. Enough, explained amply, and interestingly Google reveals that......"The first records of enough come from before the 900s. It comes from the Old English word genōh and is related to the German genug and the Old Norse nōgr......."
Sir, Your writeups are so good,we will never have enough.
Good Greed .on our part...I admit it leaves the readers unmaterialistically richer.
Take any integer. There is another bigger than the biggest!!
Great write-up on enough sir.
A regular read it must be to remind us... When it's enough... Beautiful essay sir
You have quoted enough incident to elucidate. Well done
Our ancient history says "संतोष एवं पुरुषस्य परम निधानम "
Was simultaneously doing self analysis and wondering that I too fall in the Zone of “yeh dil mange more”. Interesting narration Suyash.
How relevant today. Super
Well written. Please keep writing to satisfy our greed for reading.😜
Greed is a bottomless pit which exhausts the person in an endless effort to satisfy the need without ever reaching satisfaction.
.....Erich Fromm
Wonderful…Very well said Suyash👏👏
For me my 5th enclosure finish in NDA cross country was enough but my greedy cross country captain would just not listen 😃😃
Alpa Tripta, Mita Tripta and Ati Tripta are the approximate stages in the human desires. Conditioning oneself to Mita stage would be good for oneself and the environment.
Well expressed, Suyash.
Greedy...wonderfully written! Greed is all about selfish desires..
And you so subtly brought it down to Putin n Zelensky. The day they have greed for love, there will be peace. Till then...
You have casually stitched together such an interesting tapestry. Enough, hardly is enough in such a case
Majedaar reading....... Put Up so interestingly.👏👏👏
It’s very important to know… when it is enough. Well written Suyash
Wonderfully expressed 👏👏👏
Welcome to the re-attired fraternity Sir. I have been singularly fortunate to have known you since Baramulla days in 1994. Thirty odd years and you have always been a Jolly Good Fellow. Took inspiration from you and shall continue to do so. All the best to ypu.
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