HOW MUCH IS ENOUGH — How much do we need?

How much is enough depends on one’s perspective and values. It’s about balancing needs and desires and understanding what truly brings satisfaction. Needs can be material, emotional, or both, as can ambitions and goals.

Ultimately, ‘enough’ is a profoundly personal and situational concept. It’s not about having everything but about appreciating what you have. It’s where your needs, desires, and aspirations are met in a way that brings contentment and balance without excess or deprivation. It’s not a fixed measure but a profoundly personal and situational understanding.

Who decides, and what determines — what is enough?

ENOUGH indicates a sufficient quantity or degree to satisfy a need or desire, but it may go beyond what is strictly necessary. NECESSARY refers to something essential or required for a specific purpose or outcome, without which the goal can’t be achieved. Essentially, Necessary’ sets the baseline, while ‘Enough’ defines satisfaction or sufficiency beyond that baseline.

Consider Dr A P J Abdul Kalam, the 11th President of India, who, despite his numerous accolades, lived a modest life with four trousers and six shirts. His definition of ‘enough’ starkly contrasts what society deems necessary, prompting us to question the societal norms that shape our understanding of ‘enough ‘.

Feeling content and reaching a point of ‘enough’ is a deeply personal and abstract concept. We all embark on this journey without boundaries or limits to guide us, making it a shared experience that connects us all.

During my college days, some slim and lean hostelers consumed fourteen ‘parathas’ per meal; for me, two was enough. Because of their voracious diet, the hungry boys created an uproar in the mess daily, abusing the poor mess supervisor. It is intriguing—what is enough for the human satiety centre? Are we like hyenas or commodore dragons and confused about our eating habits? The tummy is like a bag, expanding as much food is pushed into it. The more you stuff, the more it expands.

When did people start hoarding things? Stone-age people were nude nomads who had just two basic instincts—to eat and to multiply. Over time, a deep sense of insecurity led people to hoard or pile up things and commodities, fearing difficult times, especially during wars and famine. In today’s scenario, can we imagine living under an open sky with a bare minimum of clothing and basic food to fill the tummy? We will still survive and multiply but sit on piles of hoarded stuff.

Humans are unique creations who like to hoard everything, including wealth, commodities, clothes, and luxuries. The term “Enough” doesn’t exist in their vocabulary. People scratch their noses on the floor before the deity, praying, ‘God, enough! no more misery and suffering.’ But there is ‘not enough’ for all worldly pleasures and achievements.

Hoarding is a mental disorder similar to Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder (OCPD). The person has a habit of hoarding trivial things like discarded iron nuts, bolts, nails, plastic bags, and boxes picked randomly from garbage and roads. There is a severe emotional attachment to inanimate objects and extreme anxiety about owning them. Hoarding relieves stress, involving a sensitive effort to discard or party with their unique possessions that need to be saved.  Such people need medical help because this disorder interferes with the lives of their families and friends.

Another breed, the ‘Collectors’, has the hobby of collecting stamps, coins, artefacts, paintings, jewellery and various artworks from various sources. They run around the exhibitions, sales and auctions, collecting unique and antique stuff.

There is a thin line between Collecting and Hoarding. However, both situations have one thing in common: passion. Passion is like a flowing river—good until it reaches its limit. Overflow brings havoc, misery, and pain.

The collection is intentional and focused on a specific theme or type. It is well-maintained and displayed systematically. Moreover, it enhances enjoyment or knowledge and rarely disrupts daily life.

Hoarding is driven by fear, anxiety, or an emotional inability to let go. It results in clutter, inaccessibility, and an overwhelming accumulation of things.

Comparison and jealousy stem the itch and urge to collect and hoard commodities beyond needs. We want more not just because we want more but because we want more than others who simultaneously want more than us; this fuels a vicious cycle—a never-ending race of stupidity and insanity. Most of the global commodity trade depends on such comparisons and jealousy.

‘Nothing is enough for the man to whom enough is too late.” EPICURUS.

The most interesting part of Passionate Hoarding is building relationships and friendships.

Some socialites have a substantial reserve of friends and alliances—the more people around, the merrier. They move between kitty parties and mundane associations and organisations as a way of life. Hoarding friends and social circles often stems from a desire for connection, belonging, show-off, fear of loneliness, social validation, FOMO (fear of missing out), or insecurity. People maintain many acquaintances and stay connected with old friends even if the bond has weakened.

‘There is a difference between giving up and knowing when you have had enough.’ Somebody asked, ‘How much love is enough to make it last forever?’ . . . ‘Too much is not enough’, I replied. The answer to such questions depends upon the individual’s intellect, emotional depth and thinking.

We should stand in front of the mirror and decide what is enough to make us happy in the true sense of the word.

I am still waiting for Bill Gates, Elon Musk, Bezos and our own Mukesh Ambani to say – IT’S ENOUGH NOW.

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