The Hungry Ghost

Day 81 / 365

In Buddhism, there is the concept of a hungry ghost. It’s a spirit that’s filled with greed and desire for material and emotional things. But the ghost is cursed with having an extremely thin neck, so it can’t possibly eat the things he wants so badly, even if it finds them.

I heard Pete Holmes talking about this in a podcast and how this is such a great metaphor for our lives right now. We are all hungry ghosts in some sense. Always wanting something else, always looking at the greener grass that’s on the other side.

We study hard to get into a good college, then work hard to land a great job. And then we find ourselves sitting in our cubicles, still unhappy, still wanting something else. We got what we desired, but we are still unhappy.

There’s a great quote by Jim Carrey that comes to mind

“I think everybody should get rich and famous and do everything they ever dreamed of so they can see that it’s not the answer.”

So what’s the answer then? I think it differs for everyone. You’ve got to find what works for you. Just make sure you are not living someone else’s dream.

This story is part of my 365 Day Project for 2019. Read about it here

Yesterday’s blog — Is there a limit to our will power?