My Current Take on Stuff

This may or may not have a point, but there has been a collection of ideas rattling around in my head for the last two months. So, I thought that I would get them down and see what happens. There are several recurring themes here, and I'll probably repeat myself.

STUFF I
We are all told that stuff will make us happy, but I have found that stuff is more of an anchor than a source of comfort. Hong Kong is the land of stuff. One of the funniest things I have discovered in Hong Kong, is that you can't even give things away. If you want someone to come and take your things away.... you have to pay them! That really made me smile and summed up the place for me. So, the easiest way to get rid of your things is to sell them. I'm in the process of selling all of my stuff, and am getting quite close to being finished with the sale. It was considerably easier than I had expected. The secret is to price everything cheap enough so that people think they are getting a deal. Many can resist purchasing, few can resist a really good deal.

STUFF II
Another thing that I discovered about stuff - it doesn't change you. I found myself in an interesting position about a year and a half ago. I had managed to acquire every material thing I had ever desired (my needs are modest). It was a really strange feeling. I arrived at the position where everyone says you are supposed to spend your whole life trying to attain, and.... nothing! Nothing at all. No great feeling of fulfilment, no quiet sensation of well-being, just me and my stuff. I think my brother said it perfectly when he saw me for the first time after I had been living in Hong Kong for a while. My Grandma asked him what he thought. Chuck replied, "Same guy, better wardrobe." That summed up exactly how I felt when I reached "socio-economic nirvana" - so now what? A valuable lesson to learn when you are young. I'd be seriously bummed to learn this at 65!

STUFF III
Do you ever wonder why life appears too easy or so hard? I was thinking about Stuff II and realised that things have been pretty easy on the material front, but challenging on the emotional/non-material front. My inner challenges have proven far more difficult and interesting than my external challenges. The same goes for my athletics. It seems a little too easy. Where is the heroic struggle to break 12 hours? That was my original goal when I first signed up for IMC in 1998. "Maybe if I train for five years, I can get quick enough to go sub-12?" Boom! Blew through that. Then I decided about Kona. Got that as well. The abundance in my life is overpowering at times. A huge amount. If I was a Buddhist or a Hindu, I would really have to thank my previous selves for a job well done. Of course, I always wonder when the hammer is going to drop. I was actually starting to feel like I was back in the Matrix again (my comfortable quasi pre-divorce reality) - things were going that well. Then a few minor incidents brought me back to reality. Nothing like a bit of hate mail. I've had enough for a while now, thanks!

Stuff III led me to feel that perhaps life is easy on the material front for a "reason". Maybe I have been given material gifts so that I have the confidence to leave them. Now some of you are probably thinking that I am nuts again, but to me it makes perfect sense. You achieve something difficult - an Ironman, a Himalayan peak, a promotion, a new client, a tough sale. At that point you have a few different paths:

You could define yourself (and let yourself be defined) in terms of that achievement. I am an Ironman, Everest summiteer, Chairman's Club Member... That is certainly a source of strength and provides comfort that one's self has value.
You could immediately move onto the next challenge - one hour off your time, K2, the next promotion, the next deal. Achieve growth by pushing your boundaries further and further out.
You could realise that perhaps all this attainment is not really the way to go. Whoops! Sounds like a mid-life crisis. I am a bit young for one of these, but I have squeezed a lot into a short amount of years, and divorce can be a big trigger.

Hmmm, which way to go? Well, I have some ideas on that, which will come out when I write about The Path. I suppose I use all three strategies. I am pretty sure that any, or all, of these strategies are right so long as you are happy doing them. Happiness. How to achieve happiness? I have some thoughts on that, too. Maybe this whole train of thought is a post-fact rationalisation for deciding to take a break from this most material of places. Then again, maybe I have been reading too much Eastern Philosophy!

STUFF IV
Hong Kong is an interesting place. The U.S. is a society of consumers. Hong Kong is a society of highly conspicuous consumers. A big difference. As well, the place is jammed with people. All of whom are in a hurry and desperately afraid of "missing out". Missing what? We have no idea, but we are damn scared about missing it. You should see the scene when promotions hands out free samples close to a subway exit. Really makes me smile, I have seen businessmen struggling for a handout of free feminine napkins. I always wondered what those guys did with them when they arrived at the office. Perhaps they gave them to their secretaries.... "Mrs. Lee, I picked something up for you this morning." Most probably they ditched them, content in knowing that at least they didn't miss out.

STUFF V
I will say this about stuff - in its most liquid form - cash is very useful. A friend recently equated money to energy, and I really liked the comparison. Goes like this: It takes energy to make money. So your money is a store of energy. Once you have your money, you can redirect some of the "getting" energy into other pursuits. I thought it was true for myself at least. When you are working like a maniac - get, get, get - you have very little energy for other activities. Back off a little and all of a sudden you have energy for other activities. Of course, you can't back off too far, otherwise you run out of energy (money). Once again, that tricky subject of balance rears its head.

STUFF VI
Think about your favourite things in the world. Here are mine: Forests, blue spruce trees, running water, sunrises from mountain tops, pushing my physical limits, clean air, cool lake water, the natural stoned feeling one gets at altitude, descending a canyon at 40-50 MPH on my bike, looking at the constellation Orion, sitting and writing random thoughts.... I can go on. There are many things. What do all of these things have in common? They are virtually free. All I need is transport, a bike and a tent. I consider myself extremely lucky. I'd encourage you to write a similar list. You might find yourself asking about your energy allocation.

I could own a half a million shares of Microsoft, and the entry fee to Rocky Mountain National Park is still the same.

gordo - 28 September 2000

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