The More (More-on) Inclination

The More Inclination

More (to be unsatisfied) is built into the system. (We are) enslaved with never being satisfied. Thus, ‘I Can’t Get No Satisfaction.’
Paraphrasing Rabbi Gershon Winkler

Soloman said, ‘if you have 100 (wives), you’ll want 200.’ Yes, like the evil inclination and the good inclination, there is a More Inclination or proclivity. But this More-onic inclination is not irreversible – but rather a tendency reinforced by habit, limitation, restriction, (Mitzrareim - Hebrew for Egypt means restriction, limitation, narrow places). This more inclination is a ‘nes’ temptation to struggle for an exodus (from being a Moron) while moving toward closer to Shaddai (G-d, G-d Alm-ghty, Enough).

The More Inclination is derived from the primary delusional strategy of man to avoid extinction – acquisition (Cain in Hebrew = acquisition). While acquisitions offer palliation, at some point, each incremental acquisition costs more and more yields less and less palliation (the less-on). This acquisition offers little satisfaction even less peace and yet man seeks ‘more’ repeating this tautological inanity like a whirling dervish.

But just as there is a ‘good inclination’ (yatzer tov) – there is also an ‘enough’ inclination (yatzer dai?) offsetting tendency to the prevalent ‘more’ inclination’ (yatzer moron) hidden dormant awaiting. Enough is like a muscle that hasn’t been exercised in 10 years while the yatzer moron inclination gets daily, hourly workouts. At first, the enough muscle gets very sore, and one, in spontaneous recovery, reverts to the ‘mean’ of the ‘more inclination.’ Further’more’, when one realizes ‘enough’ economically, enough (the yatzer dai inclination) causes the further distress/tsuris of ‘what next, what now?’ at 2:00A.M when nothing is on cable except F Troop reruns and Joan Rivers’ pitching natural make up.

The what next, what nows often cannot be dealt. Result: reversion to the more inclination rationalized as ‘I can create jobs,’ ‘creating more for others,’ adventuresome capital, political forays – avoiding the what next, the what nows – of enough as well as evading/dodging ‘for better or worse, but not for lunch’ with the spouse one is driving crazy.

The realization of enough financially – minimizing the financial anxiety so one can transcend to significance - can always be rationalized away. “I have enough, but what if there is a devaluation? I don’t have enough to have a self sufficient farm in Australia! Oh, I have the farm in Australia but the parrots ate all the crops. (True story.)”
There is always an excuse – a good excuse for More and ‘More, Ovaltine, mom.’
Until…
Until the realization that Shaddai (God, God Alm-ghty, God All Sufficient, Enough)– is Enough.

When I was about to start my Enough fee only financial planning practice, I contacted Richard Bolles (of What Color is Your Parachute fame). I had, day in and day out, for three months completed every exercise in this his first edition of Parachute as well as his co-authored book with Crystal – Where Do I Go Here With My Life.)

Bolles, a former minister, related that while the first edition had sold very well (today, he is on his 30+ edition!!) and many had come to his workshops, only 5-6 could he recall at the time – had ever completely done all the exercises in the book. Many had read the book (and several millions since) but at the time few ‘did’ the workbook.

When I told Bolles of the Enough approach as contrasted with More in financial planning, he told me his story. It seems prior to the book being published, out of work as a minister, he diminished his financial resources such that prior to his first $500 advance on the book, he even sold his box spring mattress he was so broke. ‘But,’ he said to me, ‘I was sustained knowing that God was ‘enough.’

God- Shaddai – was enough and is, are, and will be the offset and transcendence from the more inclination.