How Much is Enough?

The question being presented at hand is, “how much is enough?” I believe that this question can be geared towards any social class in today’s society. Today’s generations are so different, that those of an earlier generations aren’t sure what is exactly enough. If we actually sit down and look at today’s society, we can clearly see that everyone is being effected by the decisions we make in our everyday lives. In the article it states, “Each generation should meet its needs without jeopardizing the prospects of future generations”. This statement is true because in today’s society, we don’t seem to see the things we do in our environment or even the way we live our lives has major impact on generations to come.

What would a world, a world of “enough” look like? In today’s essay, we will look at the perspective from the middle class. The middle class is chosen because they can literally feel the effects of both sides of the social class. Mainly in today’s society, we have more people who are considered “middle-class” than those who are suffering from poverty. What is middle class? Who is considered a middle-class individual? An individual in the middle class may not have the highest paying job, may not have the nicest car, or nice clothes, but they are still considered to be above the lower classes mentioned in the article. Those of the higher class may feel as though the middle-receives enough, but as of today, those same middle class people may look and think “Wow, I could have more”.

Let’s take a look at how a middle-class person lives. A middle-class person may have a job where they are getting paid almost $45,000 a year and can afford a nice house in a nice neighborhood. But in reality, is that enough? Living in the state of North Carolina, making about $45,000 a year is barely making it. Yes, you can enjoy a nice house and car and can provide for your family, but is that really enough? The answer is no. Everyone in the world wants to have the things that their hearts desire, but then we have look at reality and say to ourselves, “How can I make enough, enough?” The question of “how much is enough?” raises a huge flag for those who are in the middle-class. Now, let’s take into consideration what would be diet that “enough” for a middle-class individual to be satisfied with. Most people who are considered middle-class do have times where they often eat out versus cooking a meal at home. They may feel as though they have the money to spare, but in reality, they don’t. As stated in the article, most people would rather sit in a fast food line instead of going to the grocery store or even growing their owns foods in their backyards. The most efficient thing that a middle-class individual could do to make it enough is to look up meals online that are healthy, but yet inexpensive. Yes, this does take time to actually figure out what’s healthy or not, but you’re also making your life as simple as it could be.

Next, let’s take into consideration what would be diet that “enough” for a middle-class individual to be satisfied with. Most people who are considered middle-class do have times where they often eat out versus cooking a meal at home. They may feel as though they have the money to spare, but in reality, they don’t. As stated in the article, most people would rather sit in a fast food line instead of going to the grocery store or even growing their owns foods in their backyards. The most efficient thing that a middle-class individual could do to make it enough is to look up meals online that are healthy, but yet inexpensive. Yes, this does take time to actually figure out what’s healthy or not, but you’re also making your life as simple as it could be. This could help save money and also gets a person on track to living a healthier life without spending all of their cash. Also, eating healthier helps reduce the risks of diseases that can come from eating unhealthy. There are many diseases that are caused because of what humans put inside their bodies, but what they fail to realize is watching the things we eat can help promote a healthier life that can be considered “just enough”.

Lastly, we will discuss how a middle-class person could take advantage of the use of raw materials being enough to survive. As stated in the article, most products that we use in our everyday lives aren’t made the same way they were back time. The types of materials that are being used to make the products we use today aren’t being put together with care. For example, the types of refrigerators that we use today to store our foods aren’t lasting as long as it should causing people to have to buy multiple refrigerators every couple of months. In result, people are wasting their hard earned money just to make sure their food is protected. However, what people could do is find refrigerators that are made with materials that are efficient and will last for many of years; actually read what’s on the box when buying it. It will make a huge different because that refrigerator that costs $899.99 may not be as efficient as one that costs $300. Looks can be everything, but when trying to live a simple life that’s just “enough”, choosing those items of lesser value can be used to its advantage. There are more raw materials that can be used to reduce the amount of harm that we are possibly causing our environment, but without knowledge, how can this be fixed?

So, back to our original question, “how much is enough?” Is enough making sure you are taking precaution of the things you buy in your local grocery store? Is enough buying a solar-efficient car that is not up-to-date? Is enough finding raw materials that can be used around the house instead of wasting money on products that will not last long? We have to be mindful of these things when we are trying to consider a life that is simple, but yet enough. As stated earlier, I chose to look at perspective of those of the middle-class because they are technically in the middle. They know what it feels like to have money in their pockets to survive, but they’ve also been to a point where they didn’t know where their next meal would come from. No matter type of social class an individual is in, they should be really sit down and consider living a life that’s simple, but yet just enough. It may not be glitter and gold but the effects of choosing this pathway will be very beneficial for generations to come.