Uma Unfiltered: my thoughts on appreciation

Some food for thought during the holiday season

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As we approach the holidays, we begin to lose sight of some really important aspects of life. Especially as a child, my Christmas wishlist was a page or two long and filled with random things that, let’s face it, I was going to stop using after 2 days. Spending rates go through the roof during the holiday season, and here in Canada, the Boxing Day madness is too real.

But why?

Why do we continue to want and spend on things that we often don’t even value? How come we feel so much jealousy when our peers get things that we wanted? How come there are an infinite amount of “What I got for Christmas” videos on Youtube — and how come we binge those like there’s no tomorrow?

However, this phenomenon isn’t only a thing in December. It’s something we see 24/7/365.

We want the newest iPhone, or we want to one-up whoever has the object that, in our minds, is “better” than our own.

This idea that happiness only comes from how much money you have, or the number of objects you possess is so stupid, and it’s so upsetting to see the effect that it has on the urban human population.

We need to stop obsessing over materialistic nonsense and start appreciating what we have in life. Ask yourself:

1. Have I had at least 1 meal today?
2. Do I have adequate shelter?
3. Do I have access to a fulfilling education?
4. Do I feel safe in my home?

If you answered yes, you’re already doing better than 3.4 billion people worldwide. Think about that.

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3.4 billion people on earth live in conditions not only “unsatisfactory”, but downright inhumane.

So, instead of focusing on the things we don’t have, let’s concentrate on the things we do.

Practice gratitude. Make it a point to list 3 things that you’re grateful for every single day, kind of like a tiny diary entry. I’ll do mine right here, in this article.

What am grateful for today:

1. Tim Hortons’ hot chocolate
2. The time I spend with my family
3. Being able to express my thoughts through my articles

Now it’s your turn. What are you grateful for?

Hey! I hope you liked this short lil’ article.

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