Experiences Hold Value, Materials Hold Dust

A Person Gives Life, Materials Give Perception

Growing up as a kid everything that was shiny, bright, or flashy attracted my eye. Regardless of the price, I wanted it. As kids, we did not care about quality, but rather quantity. As I grew up, the quality of items I wanted grew of more importance than the number of items I could fit in my closet. But there came a point, more recently, that I started to realize that I was seeking out things and not the experiences of life, memories, or learning knowledge that were only available if I shared them with someone else.

You can have everything you want; the money, the fame, the items, but if you do not have anyone to share it all with, then what is the purpose? We are chasing our own, individual dreams, and wealth and freedom are likely in everyone's plan, but are money and recognition all that are important to us? Obviously not, but clearly it is a first-spoken phrase of what the majority says when they are asked about the future they want. If materialistic competition was not an issue in society, people would begin to seek out knowledge, life experiences, and someone to share the journey with.

I have found myself focusing solely on the things. But, with all of those things, what does it all matter at the end of the day? Of course it all helps in our daily lives, but it does not make the person we are any better. We learn from people, we gain knowledge from learning, and we learn from the experiences of living. With all of that, we need people and we need someone to share it all with.

We wake up each day with a list of things to do and a goal in mind. After it is all completed, what is left? The evening news? Dinner? Life is bland without the people around us. Rather than seeking out the benefits and immediate gratification, the chance to share a moment with someone or make a person’s day better serves such a higher degree of happiness and worthwhileness. Furthermore, none of us can avoid a bad day for our entire lives. When those days come, having someone to be there for you is just what we need and vice-versa. And when it comes to learning, none of us want to do the same thing every day for our entire lives. Therefore, with every person we meet and every experience we have, we will learn, and then we will apply that learning to teach someone else. It is a cycle of life and we all play a role in the process. Finally, memories. Without people, how can we share the memories that make us love the life we live or remember the moments that shaped who we are today? Take a moment to think about how impactful people are in your life. For some, materials are the life they want and they are content with heaps of happiness. For others, people have brought them to new heights and given them the opportunity to start over, find their passion, and inspire them to keep going, or have played a role in their success story. The materials we attain do not make life worth living, but the people we share our memories with do.

        -Austin McClain Baker