Thou Shall Not
Task 14, March 29 to April 5
"It is the final proof of God's omnipotence that he need not exist in order to save us." Peter De Vries.
It's the Easter season, and I'm a Catholic, so I went (somewhat willingly, as a prisoner attends a court date) to Mass for Palm Sunday. The sun was shining, the church was decorated in yellow, orange and red fabrics and palm fronds with baby breath accents. The mood was ebullient, but I was sulking in the pew.
Why? Because I was thinking about my neighbor. Actually, I was thinking about my neighbor's car, a Lucid "Air Pure" electric sedan in Fathom Blue, with Alcantara Headliner Interior, not to mention 12-Way Power Heated seats. I should be driving such a luxurious EV, not that clod Rick, who couldn't, just couldn't, have a salary like mine; but HE doesn't have kids, and HE bought his house when the interest rates hovered at 3, and HIS wife isn't intent on keeping Jeff Bezos filthy rich! Now I was in a really dark place, muttering and clenching my fists...
My wife wasn't having it, and mid-way through "Here I am Lord", the opening song, she dug her elbow into my side and whispered angrily, "what's the matter with you?" I stopped muttering and stretched my lips into a semblance of a smile, and Mass eventually ended, much to my relief.
On the way home she brought it up again, only this time she wasn't whispering, and I told her that I was sulking over the Lucid Air Pure, and she just shook her head and said, you don't want, or need that car, you just COVET it!
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I mumbled something--I wasn't really sure what "covet" meant so I pivoted to the time-tested "rope-a-dope" avoidance technique, and it worked. She moved on to other complaints about my church behavior (I fell asleep during the gospel), and before you know it we were at Julie's Diner for breakfast.
Later on I sat down and thought about what she said. No one uses the work "covet" much these days, and I thought about where I had heard it before and suddenly it came to me: "covet" was from the Ten Commandments. I looked it up--covet means to "yearn to possess or have something". Meaning: someone has something that you want. Actually, there are two commandments that mention the word covet: Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife, and thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's goods. Since I don't care much for Rick's wife, who is sharp-tongued and once asked my wife (about me): "what do you see in him anyway", I didn't covet her, so it was the Lucid Air Pure. And my wife was right: I really didn't need it--I just WANTED IT.
That got me to thinking about other stuff I coveted, and guess what--it was all stuff that other people could afford and I couldn't...I wrote it all down in a list, and it was a good sized list, ranging from the wristwatch that dangles from my co-worker Jamal's wrist, to the Michell Audio GyroDeck turntable that my friend Max shamelessly tells me how much it cost him EVERY time we go over to his house...will the list help me assuage my covet fever? I don't know, but at least it was out in the open.
TASK:
Sit down and think about all the things in your neighborhood that you want, but other people have. Be precise. Do they same at work, at the gym, at the auto dealership, at the movies... The list is going to be long. Look at each item. Ask yourself why you want it, and if you deserve it, if you need it, and if you can live without it. The results will surprise you.