Enough (and not more)

By SKIP MENDLER

It was one of those much-forwarded emails — like the things that your well-meaning cousin in Dubuque sends you from time to time. But this one caught my eye: the subject heading was “I wish you enough.”

And indeed, it was a heartwarming story; as it turns out, the original (which I won’t reproduce for you here) was written by a fellow named Bob Perks, and can be found at his website ((www.bobperks.com/wish.htm)), as well as various widely scattered locations over the Internet.

But the reason that subject line caught my eye was that I’ve been thinking a lot about that word—“enough.” It has more meanings and implications than you might think at first.

As much as I don’t like oversimplified dualistic constructs, I’d nonetheless like to suggest that one way to consider what we’re dealing with in present-day America is as a conflict between two basic philosophies: one that simply wants “enough,” and another that always wants “more.”

The concept “enough” focuses us on values like simplicity, sustainability, and economic justice. The concept “more” focuses us on material possessions, the exploitation of resources, and unrestrained economic growth.

“Enough” centers us in enough not just for themselves, but also for everyone else. “More” by definition means also “more than”; having more than someone else is in part the point of the entire exercise, and some folks get to the point where they don’t much care how they achieve that goal. “More” eventually becomes excess strictly for its own sake, and when that is the goal, no one else can have “enough.”

This brings us to the other, complementary sense of “enough”—as in, “Enough already!” or in “We have had more than enough of such behavior.” That is exactly what the American people, from Rep. John Murtha on down, have begun saying to the White House and the leadership in Congress with louder and louder voices in the last few weeks. We have had enough of the occupation of Iraq, of the reports of torture, fraud, and violation of civil rights.

So consider, if you will, adopting the word “enough” as a slogan, a mantra, a double-edged rallying cry. Think about what “enough” might mean for you—and what it might mean for your neighbor, or your cousin in Dubuque, or someone in the Ninth Ward of New Orleans.

Here’s what it meant to the family in Bob Perks’ story:

“I wish you enough sun to keep your attitude bright.

I wish you enough rain to appreciate the sun more.

I wish you enough happiness to keep your spirit alive.

I wish you enough pain so that the smallest joys in life appear much bigger.

I wish you enough gain to satisfy your wanting.

I wish you enough loss to appreciate all that you possess.

I wish enough ‘Hello’’s to get you through the final ‘Goodbye.’”

So in this holiday season, I wish you enough, too... enough strength, enough laughter, enough hope, enough wisdom... and in those areas where you have had enough already, I wish you no more.

PS I can never get enough of reaction from readers, so I invite you to please send a note to this paper, or to me directly at smendler@care2.com, and let me know what you think and feel about this column so far. We’ve got a lot to cover in 2006,

PPS. My Veterans’ Day column, you may recall, urged among other things a greater awareness of and respect for the sacrifices of humanitarian and peace workers, and a greater willingness on the part of humanitarian organizations to persist in their work even when their personnel are threatened. As if in response to such notions, a previously unknown group, supposedly Islamic fighters, has detained (but as of this writing at least, has not yet harmed) four activists from Christian Peacemaker Teams. More information on this story, and about Christian Peacemaker Teams, can be found at www.cpt.org. I urge you to stay informed, and keep all peacekeepers everywhere in your thoughts and prayers.