The Endless Pursuit Of More

Ved was really excited.

It was his friend's birthday the day after, and he had come to the supermarket with Thatha to buy a birthday gift. 

It was one of his favorite places to visit. Ved loved the bakery section in the supermarket that always smelt of bread being baked. He loved browsing through the various aisles that displayed home essentials. Right from utensils to clothes, the supermarket sold everything.

But his favorite was the toy-section where he could find a wide range of toys to choose from. Ved ran into the section wanting to buy something very special for his friend, for it was going to be his tenth birthday. Two digits! Ved was already looking forward to his tenth. He knew it was going to be a grand affair. 

While Thatha browsed through the aisles patiently, Ved gathered several toys in the basket. There was a football, a dart game, a board game and a puzzle that looked quite complicated but which he knew his friend would enjoy doing. He kept searching for more games.

Thatha walked over to him and saw the basket. "So which one of these are you going to gift him?"

Ved laughed. "Thatha, not just one! I am going to give him a lot of gifts this year. It's after all his tenth birthday, the first two-digit birthday."

Thatha looked at him thoughtfully. "Do you feel that more of something makes people happy?"

Ved thought for a while and nodded. "I guess. Wouldn't it be nice to get more of everything? Why settle for less when you can have more?"

Thatha smiled. "But is there a limit to that 'more'? How much can one accumulate? Wouldn't it set you off on a path that will ultimately lead you to dissatisfaction? In the search of 'more', you will keep missing out on what you have, and will always be in pursuit."

Ved looked at the basket. "I guess this is too much. But Thatha, if we can afford this, what is wrong in giving more?"

"The wrong in giving more is, you train your mind to be happy only when you get 'more'. There is a limit to how much you can buy, but there is no limit to how much you want. This will ultimately lead to dissatisfaction and unhappiness. Just imagine, endlessly wanting and not getting satisfied with whatever you get. Is there a worse punishment than this?"

Ved slowly nodded. "I think I am getting your point."

Thatha cleared his throat. Ved readied himself for the quote he knew would come forth. "The easiest way for us to gain happiness is to learn how to want the things we already have."

Ved blinked. "I have never heard this one."

"I know." Thatha said. "This was said by William Irvine. The gist is, the endless pursuit of more will only lead to dissatisfaction and unrest. We need to shift our focus from what we want, to what we already have. Only then will we be at peace. You want to give a gift to your friend, that's great. Just give him a meaningful gift that you feel he would enjoy. The thought matters more than the number of gifts. What do you say?"

Ved silently removed all the items except the puzzle. "He is really fond of solving puzzles. I will gift him this one, Thatha." He looked around. "I understand what you said. I can go on, aisle after aisle, buying everything placed there. But unless I learn to be satisfied with small gestures, I will never find peace even if I buy everything."

Thatha fondly ruffled his head. "I am so proud of you, child. Just remember, happiness isn't in acquiring more, but in cherishing and enjoying what you have. Train your mind to find joy in less, and you will never have to run after 'more'!"

Ved smiled and both of them made way to the billing counter, their bags and hearts both lighter and at peace.