The spiral of wanting more
Recently, I got a figure of Kyōjurō Rengoku from the anime Demon Slayer for my shelf. It had been on my wishlist for quite some time and was a good deal.
Now, it does make me happy to look at one of my favourite characters, but I also noticed something. Already, a part of me is already thinking about other figures that I can get — Batman, Daredevil, and Power Rangers, amongst others. Barely have I posed my latest figure on the shelf and I'm already moving on to the next purchase.
There is really no end to wanting, is there?
Centuries of philosophical and spiritual traditions say as much. Stoicism and Buddhism both tell us that to want is to keep wanting. There is even a something called the Diderot effect named after the French philosopher Denis Diderot (there's a whole story here!) which is about how acquiring a new possession often starts this spiral of consumption where you feel a need to acquire yet more things.
So what then? Stop buying anything altogether? I'm not so sure that's the answer. I don't know if there is one right answer. But this line from James Clear feels illuminative:
Realize that wanting is just an option your mind provides, not an order you have to follow.
For me, this reminds me to try to be more aware of my consumerist tendencies and realise that I don't need to purchase something just because I have an inclination to.