I read an article about a wealthy retired man from India. He used to be the President of the Bank of India. He could buy anything he wanted. But the only thing that continuously gave him pleasure was regularly giving to his favorite charities.
He felt people only needed a certain amount of money to be comfortable. Anything after that was excess and didn't contribute to people's lives. It was the combination of being reasonably comfortable and giving to others in need that was the source of his joy.
I think we're tricked into thinking we need a lot of money and things to be happy. An ascetic life isn't the answer. But a life containing the things that matter to us, and some kind of activity that connects us emotionally to others is fulfilling.
I've seen a lot of people let go of what's no longer serving them, whose hearts opened up to what mattered to them. It's helped families and couples become closer. It's helped people do the activities that matter to them, which end up affecting others.
We are closed off by clutter. We bloom when we clutter bust. We become an asset to ourselves when we unbury ourselves. The world ends up prospering.