A Buddhist monk is supposed to lead a simple life without attachment to anything that can lead to greed, envy or possessiveness.
Temptations of the modern world are hard to resist. Even monks are hooked on their cellphones and wear fashionable sneakers nowadays.
Have you ever been to a children’s party? Children are overloaded with gifts. As a result that they can’t focus on using any of their toys to the fullest. Some toys eventually end up in the attic without ever been touched.
Back in the seventies we had plenty of toys as well. Toys that would spark our imagination and creativity instead of like most modern toys which have only one assigned function. We did not have an entire hospital or circus in our toy box. We created our own circus using real life toads. Believe me, we had great fun.
In a material world where marketing has such an impact on us, where we’re surrounded with technological devices and money comes out of a hole-in-the-wall it is so hard to teach a child to appreciate their possessions and feel the responsibility to take care of them.
I’ve always been good at saving money. I am a bit embrarressed to admit but at an early age I did not like to be invited to birthday party’s because I had to spend 50 cent of my allowance on a gift. When I was 12 years old I had enough savings to buy myself a secondhand bike. I was so proud of my bike. I treated my bike as if it was my baby. After taking good care of my bike for several years I was able to sell the bike for a good price.
I count my blessings that I do not have to raise a child of my own in this material world. I have no idea how to raise a non-materialistic child in this material world. -Bregje
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