“Any man, who does not think that what he has is more than ample, is an unhappy man, even if he is the master of the whole world.”

Seneca

Have you ever eaten something delicious and felt that overbearing desire to have another?

Ah, the feeling of More.

One of the most telling quotes I’ve heard about the human condition came from John D. Rockefeller, the world’s first billionaire. When asked about how much is enough, he answered, “Just a little bit more.”

It’s fair to say we are wired towards accumulation, be it money, power, possessions, achievements, baseball cards, eating a whole pizza, whatever — we are not static creatures, but instead have an innate generativity and drive for consumption that has brought us to the heights of both human achievement and depravity.

I’m not saying it’s a bad thing. The desire for more — and the dissatisfaction with present inadequacies — has driven such wondrous innovations as the airplane, antibiotics, and the smartphone. Without this spirit, humanity would still be living a nomadic lifestyle, all those potentials forfeit.

Nonetheless, in this modern age, we have put More on a deified pedestal, especially with material possessions. The theory of consumerism didn’t really exist until the Industrial Revolution. We have changed so much as a species, and we risk losing ourselves in this mad pursuit — yet people saw it coming ages ago.

Seneca, the renowned Roman philosopher, was no stranger to this cycle, having lived in the company of the highest elite of his time. Even then, two thousand years ago, he witnessed how the deification of More can drive people into ruinous, wasteful lives, sometimes for no other reason than because the more you have the more find you need.

“The blessings and prosperities we prize are often a source of anxiety in themselves. To preserve one prosperity, we need other prosperity, and to support the prayers which have turned out well we have to make other prayers.” – Seneca

All of these things are transient. Are they enough to fill up our lives on their own? How can true happiness, meaning, and humanity be found in things that can be bought and sold? For it is as Seneca said,

“Whatever comes our way by chance is unsteady, and the higher it rises the more liable it is to fall.”

While there’s nothing inherently wrong in wanting more and achieving more, there is something poisonous about basing one’s happiness on it, because not only are those moments of getting so few relative to a lifespan, but very soon after getting what you wanted you realize it no longer makes you happy, because the thrill of the pursuit is finished. What do many people do? They move on to the next shiny thing, prolonging the cycle without realizing they’re caught in a trap, ignorant that there’s more to life than this.

“They do not look for an end to their misery, but simply change the reason for it.” – Seneca

At some point, we need to learn what is enough. More than that, we need to discover the deeper, more lasting aspects of our lives that can truly give us a more meaningful and happy existence. These include relationships, physical and mental health, meaningful work, and creative expression.

We should respect our desire for more, but we should also tame it.

Otherwise, it’s never enough — and that’s miserable.