The pleasure of doing things

In this materialistic world, we all want to have things.

An apartment in Dubai Marina, BMW convertible, an iPhone in my pocket, designer shoes, home theater system, the list goes on and on.

You can fill up your surroundings with most expensive things. You can have it all, really.

But does having things really give satisfaction?

I purchased a big screen LCD TV last weekend and on Sunday it was professionally installed and mounted on the wall of my living room. But I still haven’t gotten a chance to watch the damn TV for a single minute. It’s just an expensive electronic device that is sure to impress friends who will visit my place.

Does my new big ass TV give me any satisfaction? No, it’s just a thing I own because I can afford it. Not having it would have made no difference in my life.

I was more satisfied when I spent a week in Maldives with my wife immediately after getting married. I took great pleasure when I took a day off from work to be with my wife because she was leaving for Karachi the next day.

Playing indoor cricket with friends once a month is the most fun filled activity I did in recent past.

Spending half a day in desert and experiencing the heat, the thrill, the adventure of getting our vehicle stuck in soft sand, is perhaps the most rewarding experience I had than having any electronic device in my apartment.

The pleasure lies in doing things, not having things.

This is the most valuable lesson of my life.

Even though I seem to care a lot about materialistic things but the truth is I can let go all of that without a second thought if I can trade it with an action packed trip.

I am planning my life in such a way that I am always doing something at any given time. It could be a volunteer project, a vacation in an exotic island, learning a new language or skill, anything that doesn’t add to the inventory of things I own.

These days I am working to get my UAE driver’s license. As trivial as it may sound, it is a process that will result in desired satisfaction. And yes although it will result in opportunities to buy more things such as an SUV but that can be used to do more things.