If we take a look at social media, we will quickly realize that what is shown to us is primarily the material success of others. We see few people showcasing their poverty or misery. Conversely, it’s much harder to find videos of wise or spiritual people sharing their worldly knowledge. It all depends on the algorithm, you might say how it’s been trained. Indeed, we can change the suggestions that platforms make to us by proactively searching for the names of wise people. Nevertheless, by default, these platforms will suggest the “trends,” namely, materialistic content. There’s nothing worse because we should be doing exactly the opposite: comparing ourselves materially with those beneath us and spiritually with those above us.
Comparing ourselves with people less wealthy than us
The problem with comparing ourselves with millionaires is that we do not learn contentment, and we forget that it’s a great virtue. The lines between ambition, greed, and miserliness are very thin. By continually comparing our minds with those who have more, we put ourselves in a perpetual state of dissatisfaction, forgetting to value what we already have and thus the gratitude of being where we are.
Gratitude is the beginning of wisdom
By always desiring what we don’t have, we become ungrateful and atrophy our hearts. We forget the compassion we should have for those who have less than us and ultimately create our own misery. Without gratitude, there is no true happiness, because it truly allows us to appreciate the present moment. Without respect and love for the present moment, we are in a perpetual flight forward that pushes us to constantly desire somewhere else that will never come.
The importance of comparing ourselves to the wise
While the material success of others can be a source of motivation, it is often more a source of frustration because we don’t all start with the same chances in life. Part of our material success is out of our control, so it is futile to desire to follow in someone else’s footsteps who had totally different circumstances. Conversely, our level of wisdom depends only on ourselves. Wisdom is the kingdom of the inner world of which we can all be masters. Therefore, it is more justified to compare ourselves to the wise and see how they were able to develop their character because it depends entirely on us. Of course, there are always factors that can help, such as the environment that saw us grow up or the culture of the country where we were born. In this respect, indeed, there are also some inequalities, but I would say they are much easier to bridge than the differences in opportunity regarding access to wealth.”
