Less Is More – and I Mean It!
We don’t need to make more money—we need to learn how to be happy with less.
Consumption is the New Cudgel
In today’s world, consumerism works like the baton of a dictatorship. The greatest threat to the system isn't poverty—it's the person who finds joy in simplicity. The one who realizes they don’t always need more, newer, or shinier. That’s why deprivation must be painted as terrifying, even shameful—so that no “sane” person would ever consider it a valid life choice.
And yet, we’re not talking about starvation or freezing. That’s a different conversation entirely. For most of human history, survival meant hardship. The real miracle today is that many of us go to bed well-fed with a roof over our heads. Still, we’ve been trained to look down on those who are content with little. Simplicity has become suspicious. If someone can be happy with less—especially if they raise their children that way—they’re labeled as "unambitious" or “low-standard.”
Chasing More Doesn’t Make Us Happy—it Makes Us Addicted
Modern people don’t realize that happiness doesn’t require constant acquisition. In fact, the opposite is often true. After a certain point, acquiring more doesn’t nourish—it enslaves. It turns into an addiction. Quick hits of gratification that never lead to fulfillment—only to more craving.
Meanwhile, something else erodes quietly in the background: our connections. In a world of plenty, we don’t need each other anymore—and somehow, that’s become the ideal. The virtue. The hallmark of "success."
But it’s not. Because in the process, we lose the very thing that makes us human: attentiveness to one another.
Relationships Aren’t About Power
In order to convince us that independence is strength and interdependence is weakness, they first had to convince us that every relationship is a power dynamic. That there’s always a winner and a loser. That even love only counts if it comes from a place of strength—when you “don’t need anyone.”
That’s where we lost something vital:
The distinction between interdependence and dependency.
It’s a subtle difference in English, but in my native Hungarian, it’s beautifully clear. Still, few people understand it. So now, interdependence—being mutually accountable and emotionally present—gets treated like a shameful state to avoid.
But true relationships aren’t built on power. They’re built on cooperation. Love. Mutual respect.
“In good times and in bad, in sickness and in health…” — Sound familiar?
That’s not just a wedding cliché. It’s the blueprint of a complete life. Where two people find their wholeness in one another.
Not only in the “good”—but also in the “bad.” Even in shared hardship.
We stay. We build. And we draw strength from the community we cultivate together.
See Them—See Yourself
When you really see another person, you don’t need a catalog to understand what they need. You recognize it in their presence, in their silences, in the rhythm of their being. And the more you learn to see others, the more you begin to see yourself.
That kind of seeing requires time. A lot of it.
Time that no amount of money, gadgets, vacation packages, or wellness weekends can replace.
So when I say: step out of your comfort zone—this is what I mean. These depths. These quiet truths.
Understand this:
Less is not the same as lack—especially when the “price” you pay gives you more time with the people you love.
The real danger isn’t that we don’t have enough.
It’s that we’ve forgotten what enough even means.
It’s Not About More Money—It’s About More Meaning
So no—the solution is not to chase more money at the cost of your soul.
The answer is learning how to be genuinely happy with less.
This isn’t just a spiritual choice.
It’s one of the most powerful forms of resistance in a consumer society: mastering your own desire.
The internal tyranny of “not enough.”
The cultural cult of “more.”
As someone once wisely said:
“It’s hard to raise children in abundance.”
Sometimes, it’s even hard to stay human.
If This Resonates—Come Along
I won’t pretend I have all the answers.
I don’t believe there’s only one right way to live—but the realization has happened, and I’ve set out on the path.
There’s no going back.
If you feel it too, come along. Let’s look for the answers together.
This Is My Voice—And It’s Not for Sale
What I write comes from the honest, down-to-earth perspective of a clear mind and an open heart.
I don’t write for clicks, I write for clarity.
During COVID, your emotional support meant the world to me. Now, as the world becomes even more chaotic, our independence matters more than ever.
We need free voices. Real ones. Maybe yours too.
If you believe this kind of honesty matters, please consider supporting this work—so I can keep writing without selling out.
Join the Plainspoken Tribe.
Let’s protect this freedom, together.
Thank you,
JPB