"I also have in mind that seemingly wealthy, but terribly impoverished class of all, who have accumulated dross, but know not how to use it, or get rid of it, and thus have forged their own golden or silver fetters.” —Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862)

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Over Consumption Defined by Tom Shadyac

"Nature is very clear on this. In fact, there's one fundamental law that all of nature obeys that mankind breaks everyday. Now this is a law that's evolved over billions of years and the law is this: nothing in nature takes more than it needs. A redwood tree doesn't take all of the soil's nutrients, just what it needs to grow. A lion doesn't kill every gazelle, just one. We have a term for something in the body when it takes more than its share. We call it cancer." - Tom Shadyac in "I Am" 

5 comments:

Oldfool said...

Thanks. A great quote and I am going to pass it on. When I had more than I needed I was not happy so I stopped taking more than I needed. Now I have what I need and no more. I am happy. I am glad that I learned before it was over for me.
I sometimes get the urge to make more money because I know I can but I am just not interested.

Ginger said...

Hello, Old Fool! Glad you commented. I can honestly say that I am happy now, too. In the past, my happiness was fed by my financial state + the quantity of my stuff. I thought more equaled better. Today, I am grateful for the events that led to my financial devastation, because I was forced to learn that money + stuff does not equal happiness, and further, that happiness and contentment is an inside job. Cliche? You bet, but I don't care.

. said...

Thanks for the write up and great bog!

See Clearly Now! said...

Thanks for this. I actually just saw the "I AM" documentary and this quote really stood out for me. So much so that I Googled the quote this morning to post it on my FB page and it led me to your blog (Bonus!!) Great stuff :)

Gwen said...

That's great that you saw the documentary. Thanks for coming to my blog, and for posting your comment!