Shopping: Is the Glass Half Full or Half Empty?

It's the Holidays, so now we shop, but somehow we never feel as though the shopping bag is full.

Envy is often rooted in low self-esteem and sometimes from very early unmet childhood needs where the person's feeling is not good enough. An envious person may frequently compare themselves to others and feel a sense of despair and want.

Elation is a mood of exaggerated well-being and joyous excitement. However, the joyous excitement is short-lived because it sits on the foundation of feeling empty. Those who feel low self-esteem may experience envy of others and try to compensate by shopping. Very soon, the joy of shopping vanishes because the individual returns to having to cope with feeling empty inside.

At this time of year, holidays are a fundamental question in our consumer-oriented society. Everybody is out there shopping. Everybody wants to buy gifts for their friends, relatives, and children. The problem is that everybody hopes for the best possible gifts they can think purchase. And in this, there is endless competition. 

In actuality, this competition is based on envy. For example, "my neighbor got a better car than I got; my neighbor got a giant Christmas tree than I did; my neighbor's lights are better than mine. There are many more examples, such as new electric trains or my children could be better than their friends. And So it goes. Who gets the most gifts? Who gets the most beautiful gifts? It never ends. It just goes on and on. 

One aspect of this entire thing is that so much of it it's based on envy. All the others have more than I do. Sadly, this envy is based on people believing they don't have enough. Some people even worry that their neighbors and families think they are poor or cheap. And the other part of the entire thing is the mistaken belief that if we can find more to buy and more essential things to buy, we will be happy. I will be happy if my fiancé gives me a giant diamond on my engagement ring. But for how long? 

None of these things brings genuine happiness. And we can see this when the initial thrill of these GIFs wears off. There are better ways to find true happiness than purchasing and owning more consumer items. Maybe this is one reason so many people feel depressed and even hopeless. 

There is even a thrill that comes with the entire shopping experience. That is also a source of joy. After people fill their shopping bags and get them home, they feel empty. All the things they bought now feel empty. These items do not make them happy. The elation that they experience is temporary, and it's based on impulsiveness. It's an attempt to fill up the emptiness inside. It doesn't work that way. It is the pursuit of a meaningful life that helps people feel happy. 

None of us believe the glass is full. It is not possible to feel that in life because there are always new challenges and obstacles that we must face. However, knowing the glass is half full feels good because it is based on a sense of accomplishment and results from doing gratifying and meaningful things.