For some strange reason, there's a part of us that feels that there isn't enough. Everybody has a different threshold, but there's a certain point when you get this sensation that there's not enough, there are limited quantities. It's almost as if there isn't enough oxygen. It's a panic feeling, and we all have it.
It kicks in at different points for everybody, and all of a sudden this fear comes to the forefront of our awareness. It makes us grip on to everything around us, like our fingers are locked onto things. It makes us want to acquire more stuff. And it's all to stop that feeling of panic from this idea that there's not enough.
When we take a closer look at it, this fear is a fantasy. It's different from looking inside the orange juice carton and seeing that it's empty. That's actual and noticeable. The fear of scarcity is an inner conviction not based on justifiable reality. Because it's a fear, it's insatiable. Fears are not fixable, because they're not based on reality. They're an inner gnawing -- an inner emptiness. You can't satisfy a fantasy feeling because there is no real reflection of that fantasy to begin with.
I point this out because it really helps to notice what's actually going on. It's as if there's a fire alarm going off, and the panic from hearing that, but there's no actual smoke or flames. Advertisers know this quality that we have, and they gear a lot of their advertisements toward that feeling that there's not enough. They fan the imaginary flames.
The main thing to notice is that when you feel this panic, this insatiable pain, you can stop and look around and assess. Where's the fire? Is there a fire? Or are you okay? Is what you have right now enough? Is what you are right now enough?