The Confusing of ENOUGH, ‘Enoughness,’ & ‘Being Productive

The Confusing of ENOUGH, ‘Enoughness,’ & ‘Being Productive is Counter Productive

Not only as Tevye in Fiddler on the Roof sang, ‘when you’re rich they really think you know’ but ‘when you’re rich – better yet, richer’  you are ‘special, better, better than, worthy – more worthy.’

            ENOUGH is a tool; Enoughness is a state. And MORE often than not becomes synonymous with ‘worthiness’ as  MORE  is typically measured by ‘net worth’ ergo ‘worthiness.’

Enoughness also becomes pair to productivity (MORE) – continuing to be able to  contribute i.e. ‘cut the mustard’ and being ‘up to snuff.’ Reinforcing the imperative to contribute is dread of being ‘indebted, obligated, taking’ which relegates one to ‘having AND being less’ in one’s self appraisal. (1) Therefore, I produce therefore I am (worthy, Enoughness). And so when one is no longer ‘productive’ – he or she recycles back to LACK – Lacking – not Enoughness in often both having AND being.

No one leaves this world with even half his desires fulfilled. If they have 100 they must have 200. If they have 200 they must have 400

Eccl. Rabba 1:32

            Now the psychobabbaltariat has tried to cash in on this question of a state of Enoughness – self worth – with their self esteem products (trophies for all, certificates of participation). The self esteem business (which the lack thereof was excused with victimhood) has been repackaged and rebranded into the happiness business. (Alas, that’s another story. A better ‘half life’ remedy: get an emissary from God: a dog).

When the day comes that I must account for my life, I will not be asked, “Why weren’t you Moses?” I was not equipped to be Moses. But I dread the question, “Why weren’t you Zusia?

—Reb Zusia of Anipoli

            A state of Enoughness is not one of ‘finished, completed’ given we are created incomplete. (1) Enoughness is, materially wanting what you have, and, spiritually, a commitment to continues to develop one’s chalek, discovering and realizing meaning IN on’e life – actualized or not -  inside out. And yes, while  there isn’t 100% completion in this life – maybe not even 50%, the spiritual standard/metric is not ‘productivity’ or cutting the mustard to ‘earn one’s keep’ but being able to answer as Reb Zusia was asked, ‘why weren’t  you, Reb……’ (besides answering NOT YET).

            And that is no half-assed question to ponder relative to one’s Enoughness

 Enough Already!

Answer To Riva Pomerantz's Biblical Justification Enough Is Never Enough

Answer To Riva Pomerantz’s Enough Is (Not) Enough

  respectfully in practice and theory I disagree with your underlying premise and assumptions in "Enough Is (Not) Enough' which confuses the task of completing our incompletions to justify Enough is Never Enough

For starters - Shaddai - per Rabbi Twerski et al - means G-d, G-d Almighty, G-d All Sufficient - ENOUGH... Of course there is Dai as in dai, dayenu  - 'it was enough' which is sung on Passover. And per Twerski et all there is no word for Hashem relative to More. And the argument of abundance as 'more' is incorrect  JEWbonics(c) (my term as where is there a Rabbinical will there is a halacha ((Jewish Law)) way)

More, Better, Now has a habit of becoming Less, Worse, Later. More, More, More what are we all morticians - e.e. cummings and the ideology of a cancer cell is more - Edward Abbey

As to dissatisfaction created by Hashem - first, the Latin for enough - is satis - so dissatisfaction is not enough. The question isn't we wouldn't go forward if we 'had enough' (though the only Enough in the end is God given 'Shaddai') - the question is enoughness - our enoughness - completing our incompletions -rather than more as the panacea .

More is a derivative from Acquisition. And Ms. Pomerantz what was the first story of more vs enough? Cain versus Abel. And what does Cain mean in Hebrew - acquisition. And man identified with his body as his sense of self - and therefore fearing extinction - has a strategy - acquisition - Cain - to delude and or palliate (though it takes higher and higher dosages). Recall Abel gave off the top the yearlings as God, Shaddai - was enough. And really the meeting finally of Esau and Jacob - whereby Jacob sought to payoff Esau - to which Esau said, 'I have plenty' but Jacob said 'I have all' - Enough Shaddai...

There are huge problems with Enough - that are avoided - which comes down to meaning IN one's life, developing one's chalek (one's portion), and like a candle using the parafin - the material for the light - the wick (the spiritual) to illuminate - as more has become acculturated and hard wired (just look at advertisements...

The pattern of using Enough for More as 'there is Never Enough': First, okay - what is enough? Ok I need a cushion just in case. Then the Sam Levinson, I finally got the means to the ends and they move the ends apart. Then there is the 'someday things' which peter out in 6 months - throwing pots in Vail till the spouse says 'for better for for worse but not for lunch' Then there is diversion - getting into adventuresome capital to make more to give (really or get a testimonial dinner), running in politics, trying to get to know the kids one didn't know for 18 years ...

But the challenge of Enough - of Shaddai -- then really isn't MORE (by the way all personal financial planning is about MORE which is why planners are MOREons) but meaning IN one's life - enough to live for enough to live on

So while we are in agreement in some of your commentary - as to fundamental premise and foundation - I couldn't disagree More - - Hashem didn't create more - because otherwise we would be fat, lazy etc - but rather finding meaning IN our lives, developing our chalek we are created ORIGINALLY INCOMPLETE (not original sin nor original dreck) and via finding meaning IN our lives - inside out (the real Tikkun Olam ) we continue to complete these incompletions and therefore inside out - procreate - contribute - earning our return.

The more, more, more anxiety is competitive, comparative - covetous - trying to fill holes in the soul by acquisition - rather than inside out continuing to complete our incompletions inside out to earn the return with enough to live on enough to live for.

ENOUGH IS ENOUGH understood as above  

PS: my definition of ENOUGH (other than Shaddai) ; a process of healing personal financial anxiey, puttin' money in its place, to connect (Tzavta), elevate, align and transcend to one's significance/assignment - what one is meant to do - meant to be - 'enough' to live for; enough to live on (c)

ENOUGH vs COVETING

ENOUGH vs COVETING

Coveting is the only sin that isn’t fun

Charlie Munger

            Identification with the physical body as ‘our sense of self’ and fearing the body’s extinction – thus ‘our extinction’ – man’s primary delusional strategy – to overcome ‘his extinction’ – has been acquisition. (Cain, as in Cain & Abel, personified in the classic movie The Citizen Kane, means acquisition in Hebrew).

            LACK (immortality) motivates ACQUISITION from which MORE is a natural consequential derivative seeking to secure the IF ONLYs. (If I Only have this or that) to satisfy the LACK (which is futile and Never ENOUGH). From the IF ONLYs – typically an external sought - COVETING is a result.  

            Coveting implies having less and worse being less by comparison externally to others.

           

            Thus, The Lack-tose Intolerance No Fun heuristic sequential formula (L.A.M.I.C.):

LACK > ACQUISITION > MORE > IF ONLYs > COVETING

            In contrast to this acculturated hardwired L.A.M.I.C. heuristic is the ENOUGH mind-set derived spiritually from Hashem and resulting materially in the sense of ‘enough to live for; enough to live on.”

            Each of us, born incomplete with the purpose to continue to complete the incompletions of the soul (the soul curriculum) in the material, is given a spark of the divine and a chalek – a portion to develop inside out for:

• Creation: to manifest inside out  dovetailing with meaning IN one’s life
• Tzavta:  connection (Tzavta) to be earned/merited for the return to Hashem

I give you good leather. It’s up to you to make good shoes

Guirjieff

Given the process of materializing the spiritual (the spark of the divine) (*), the material, akin to the paraffin of the candle, is the leather (note: not Golden Calf skin). The paraffin is the material from which light of the wick (the spiritual) illuminates and thus manifesting the spark of the divine to make good shoes in our travel to return. How we as shoemakers cobble our leather determines whether one becomes ‘a shoe in’ or not.

(Note: coveting others’ Jimmy Choos™ & Allan Edmunds is the triumph of the paraffin ((the material))snuffing out the light ((the spiritual)) emanating from the wick – resulting in a  ‘wicked’  knock off with faux upper soles/souls).

Shaddai means ‘God, God Almighty, God All Sufficient, Enough’

Rabbi Mordecai Twerski to this writer in the early 1990’s

ENOUGH,  to have the potential of ‘enlightening,’ is about: healing personal financial anxiety, puttin’ money in its place, to elevate – transcend – align & connect (Tzavta? Dat?) to one’s significance/assignment what one is meant to do, meant to be with “enough to live on; enough to live for.”

And while ENOUGH is a tool for the development of one’s chalek and meaning IN one’s life in the process of creation and tzavta, some will argue – and rightfully, that the pursuit of  ENOUGH in the context of ‘when I have ENOUGH, then I’ll’ shows a lack of faith in Shaddai as l ‘ENOUGH’

And yes, while:

·         Abel gave the first yearlings – off the top – irrespective of profits (even meeting his ‘nut’ – his overhead) to Shaddai as a sacrifice, and

·         Yaakov offered a king’s reparation to Esau (who said ‘I have plenty’) stating ‘I have all’ (Shaddai – enough), and

·         ‘This land is mine you are but wayfarers’ (Leviticus) thus all is on divine lease

Man, fearing his physical demise as his extinction, thus seeks certainty, permanence, and continuity via acquisition – and therefore, isn’t at the level of Abel’s and Yaakov’s faith – with very very few exceptions.

You don’t get rid of shtick

Rabbi Henoch Dov

            Recognizing the above and the derivative habituated tendency toward MORE MORE MORE (making us  MOREons), yet the primacy of manifesting faith, creation & tzavta via chalek development & meaning IN one’s life inside out through deeds – ENOUGH – may become & provide the fence – the buffer  from MORE MORE MORE  towards faith in Shaddai as ‘THE’ ENOUGH.

            Of course, usual and typical, the fence may expand seeking additional territory (even territory of others – coveting) rationalize as ‘there is never enough’ – which is just making ENOUGH another variation of MORE. This chained link fence just displaces  for MORE. (Picture a squeezed balloon. The amount of air hasn’t changed it’s just been displaced in this case in the name of MORE  for ENOUGH which is Never ENOUGH. Suppression not only displaces but also further distorts – though the hot air remains the same.

By creating the fence/limitation of ENOUGH – though not getting rid of the shtick of MORE - there is a potential of slowing the revolutions and or reversing the speed of never ending hamster wheel of L.A.M.I.C. , its external comparisons and coveting.

MORE : an outside in comparative to other which typically never ENOUGH

ENOUGH an inside out comparison – for creation and tzavta – ‘enlightening’

Thus to contrast the heuristics:

ORIGINAL INCOMPLETION VS (LACK) >

 CHALEK + MEANING IN ONE’S LIFE VS (ACQUISITION) > 

 ENOUGH VS (MORE,  IF ONLYs & COVETING)

More Vs Enough vs Abundance (Reprise) Part III

"Who is rich, he who is satisfied with his lot" also translated as "Who is rich? The one who is appreciates what he has…"

(Talmud—Avot 4:1)

Daat – in Kabbalah meaning ‘connection’ also ‘knowledge’ which exchanges  between creation and development (in the former) or attaches between wisdom and understanding in the latter

Tzavta – connection. Tzavta is the Aramaic origin of 'mitzvah' (which did not mean 'good deed'). Mitzvah is a changing from the origin Tzavta to mean 'commandment' as in Bar Mitzvah - son of the commandment.

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Let us not confuse 'abundance' (in the biblical sense) with more. More rarely if at all relieves anxiety - there is always another risk to invent or elevate - to rationalize the need for More. More itself habituates and ironically with its free floating never ending only momentarily tamped down anxiety actually comforts (with familiar habituation) as an altered state not having to deal with 'why I am" - one is meant to be - meant to do. And ironically, more better now has a way of becoming, in time, less worse later' while the anxiety and habituation are the placeholders.

Also note more is reinforced by concept of 'haves and have nots' with the unstated underlying behavior of- have a little want some more (and not smores....).

More goes to 'I did it. Mine. 'Ownership' whereas enough owns UP to connecting (yes, Tzavta/daat?) maybe to 'what one is meant to be; meant to do.'

That doesn't mean enough solves (as Sowell said, 'there are no solutions only tradeoffs') - if anything 'enough' confronts - the question of meaning IN one's life (unless the individual circles back to more - being a MOREon.)

However, enough may give the opportunity as to 'enough to live for; enough to live on' - developing one's chalek (one's portion – or as Rush Limbaugh would state ‘one’s talents on loan from God’) - in continuing to complete one's incompletions.

Abundance, in contrast, goes to enough to being satisfied with one's lot, developing one's chalek, wanting what one has --- abundance is enough - not more.

Finally, if you the reader will excuse my Judaic reference & orientation, it is no coincidence - (God’s way of winking that there is no word for God connoting the word more in Hebrew as in the 100 plus names and or references. However, I believe the third name for God in Genesis if not mistaken is Shaddai - containing the root word – dai – meaning enough. And ‘in the beginning’ after each of  5 of the seven days - the reference at the end of each of those days was 'it was good' (as in it was good enough'. I don't recall in nomenclature the translation the phrase 'it was good more'.

One may take the connection (Tzavta) from enough (especially functioning as daat as well connection, attach, exchange) especially in development of character, chalek, and meaning IN one life -- abundance. It is questionable that more facilitates connection/daat mode other than  plaques, and recognized in the society columns for a contribution to CUPS (monuments, buildings) rather than Coffee (the actual cause – direct dollars in).

And so abundance as --More, better, now (more, for more's sake) has a habit of becoming  less, worse, later - AND that's the LESSon increasing personal financial anxiety, as I see it.

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Finally, the above said there is a question of distribution (being a distributor of the community – a Judaic concept). Distribution is OWNing UP and is extremely difficult given the preponderance of 'displacing bodily fluids down one's leg' by so called self serving charitable institutions ‘dissipating abundance.’ The self aggrandizing holier than thou charitable institution bureaucrats masquerading as ‘do gooders’ do not understand nor wish to understand social entrepreneurship, accountability, output - preferring its own perks, salaries, perpetuation CUPS giving good lunch and shiny plaques (sans Prevacid and or beta blockers) rather than accomplishing its mission (which would put the bureaucrats out of business). Thus March of Dimes is still taking quarters (excuse me ‘reinventing itself.’)

Being content with one’s portion (chalek)– developing your portion rather than coveting (which is externally comparative) - is Judaic.

More vs Enough vs Adaptability & Resourcefulness Part II

(For Heaven’s sake) to manifest the spark of the divine within (each of us)

Judaic thought

QUESTION: What is ‘more’ useful to the creation process & its derivatives: the Yes FOR the NO; the No FOR the Yes; the Yes AND No): MORE or ENOUGH ?

DEFINITIONS:

ENOUGH: healing personal financial anxiety, puttin’ money (the current currency) in its place, to transcend, connect & align to one’s signification/assignment – what one is meant to do & meant to be – with enough to live for & enough to live on

MORE: a never-ending Sisyphusian test of worthiness, usually leading to increased personal financial anxiety, less and a Sense of ‘LACK’ (S.O.L.) as ‘there is never quite enough’ Note: More, Better, Now has a habit of becoming Less, Worse, Later.

            .

            Ironically, both MORE and ENOUGH may be contraindicative (counteract)  to the   creation/destruction – yes FOR no, no FOR yes, yes AND no process..

But what I do have are a very particular set of skills

Liam Neeson in ‘Taken’

            Each of us has not only a spark of the divine within to manifest but also a portion (chalek) to discover, develop, & materialize . This portion/trait may be revealed & cultivated as a particular set of skills or remain buried within. In addition, most of us have exhibited – but give little value to let alone monetize - our adaptability and resourcefulness in the face of the resistance of NO’s (difficulties, challenges, and in particular financial obstacles). If anything,  we tend to minimize – actually devalue these  YES capabilities – these particular set of skills – in terms of our ‘net worth-iness’ preferring to believe in the ‘current currency’ (money).

To have more doe not mean to be more

Rabbi Abraham Heschel, Sabbath

            In the past, at ENOUGH Personal Financial Life Planning workshops, I would often ask clients or participants for a show of hands relative to the questions:

·         Have you incurred difficulties and especially challenges at one time or another in your life.?

·         Did you have overcome those difficult situations?

Invariably every attendees raised their hands.

When I would ask for how many put – monetized – their adaptability and resourcefulness on their net worth – balance sheets, I got incredulous looks (and no hands). After all, other than inheritance, isn’t it, in great part, the individual’s adaptability and resourcefulness which helped to ‘create’ the ‘financial net worth?’

Who is rich?
The one who is appreciates what he has…
(Talmud—Avot 4:1)

And the Chinese variation per Tao Te Ching, ‘He who is rich? He who knows what enough is.”‘

 And yet, the  focus is on LACK, its derivative Acquisition (Cain in Hebrew) and the subderivative MORE for redemption, after life insurance, and or just palliation with higher and higher dosages required to offset this LACKtose intolerance. The MORE idol becomes both the yes for fear of the no.

The chalek, developed inside out, when paired with meaning IN one’ life furthers creation (climbing the mountain – the YES) and even creative destruction (strip mining (the NO)) both in dialectic tension as:

• pressure on coal is required to yield a diamond,
• the agitation of sand on the clam creates the pearl,
• clothes don’t get clean without an agitator in the washing machine
• no one likes an alarm clock

The NO for YES is sharpened by the chalek when paired with meaning IN one’s life and therefore ‘being fruitful and adding.’

Still, devaluing our resourcefulness, adaptability, and chalek we complain. Per a Judaic story, a man complains to God, ‘Almighty this life is a terrible, challenging, tough destructive, unfair (imitating a progressive Democrat?) tough world – can’t you send someone to help?

The Almighty replied, ‘I did. I sent you.’

A Story:

            A dog with a bone in his mouth looking into a river sees his reflection and mistakes it for a dog with a larger bone. Discarding his own bone, he jumps into the river to battle and seize the larger bone from the other dog. After giving up in futility, he emerges sometime later from the river with no bone and his fur matted for his efforts.

MORE  versus ‘ENOUGH 

The LESSon – The boner.      

            MORE tends to divert attention away from chalek development and  toward acquisition of ‘an enough’ which is always just ‘a little MORE’  – just in case.’ In addition, the never quenched thirst of the Sisyphisian MORE is increasingly adding boogie men to the equation. Solve threat #1 to MORE and real or typically imagined threat #2 is promoted as the  MORE  ‘The Rat-e of Return’ hamster wheel continues to spin.

When one reinforces & pairs chalek to meaning IN their life – then ‘ENOUGH  to live for ENOUGH  to live on’ increases the probability of manifested creation. And yet, ENOUGH  sans dovetailing with one’s chalek and meaning IN there life has a habit of recycling to eventually MORE, and MOREonic behavior with the collateral damage being the unmanifested yes FOR no and no FOR yes. Here is the sequence of  this ENOUGH  returning to MORE:

• Get ‘a cushion just in case,’
• Secure the means to the ends and move the ends apart,
• Escape ‘meaning – the will to meaning’ by doing one’s someday things (throwing pots in Vail or rearranging their spouses’ spices in alphabetical and size order –(I kid you not – these are real examples)
• With spouses complaining ‘for better or worse but not for lunch’ in gradations  to adventuresome capital forays begin rationalized as “I can make more which I can redirect to good causes,’ or
• running for political office – to make a difference.

So with ENOUGH  uncoupled to meaning IN one’s life & one’s chalek, – the spark of the divine within like MORE remains buried unmanifested under developed and the process of continuing the completing of one’s incompletions (the soul curriculum) is held back – and failing to be fruitful and multiply rather than skipping grades for creation: Yes FOR No and or No FOR Yes.

The journey is not in seeking new lands but seeing with new eyes

Proust

MORE vs ENOUGH Vs Creation - Part I

The only people that like change are wet babies

Don Robinson

            Creation creates change.

And change generates movement.

            All movement involves friction

            People don’t like friction – except as sexual friction accomplices – however linguistically rationalized.

            Thus, the means will always be criticized regardless of ends (creation, destruction) given  ‘friction,’ movement and the prospect of change – as we aren’t wet babies.

There are haves, have nots, and have a little want some more

            The haves seek to ‘keep;’ the have nots want to ‘get,’ and the have a little want some more want ‘some more.’

            All three seek to ‘acquire’ (which requires friction) – more or less

• The ‘haves’ to ‘keep’ seek ‘less’ risk to what they have & ‘more – ‘just in case’ – for ‘certainty
• The ‘have nots’ to ‘get,’ by merit or take by hook or crook (in the name of redistribution confiscation rationalized as ‘fairness, social justice, you didn’t make it’ aka leftist PC  progressives) – for MORE (which is never ENOUGH )
• The ‘have a little want some mores’ want ENOUGH ’ which is ‘just a little bit MORE’ (rarely defined) –also ‘just in case’ - for greater ‘certainty’

            The only thing certain about change, friction, movement is change and uncertainty in time. Thus, MORE (actually the ‘promise’ of MORE and what it should provide)- being acculturated, instinctual, and buttressed by fear of extinction (as the body) is never ENOUGH. FurtherMORE, MORE (like the delusion of happiness) doesn’t yield certainty, permanence nor continuity due to the continuous process of: creation/deconstruction – yes FOR no, the no FOR yes – the yes AND the no.

            Friction is necessary for the process of creation and yes, destruction.

            Friction is ‘not nice’ (save friction accomplicing).

Friction with another often results in ad hominems from ‘you’re difficult’ to expletives camouflaged sometimes with euphemisms and niceties but still, with a smile disguising, the ‘f**k you, very much.’

           

            Even STP™ (the racers edge) doesn’t lubricate this friction of creation’s movement, change & destruction.

Money can therefore cause endless anxiety, for no matter how much you have, you are ever sure whether you have enough or whether you will not somehow lose it all…

Rebbe Menachem Mendel Schneerson

            MORE parches thirsting for MORE believing MORE will lubricant when MORE requires higher and higher dosages – resulting in increased friction that 50 weight nor an additional 50k can’t grease.

            The question is ‘is MORE necessary for the continuous process of Creation/Destruction (yes AND no, no FOR yes) with the flipside does ENOUGHinhibit Creation?’ which will be examined in PARTII