Acquiring and owning more than we need actually wears us out. Proverbs 23:4
“Despite the fact that people in prosperous democracies find their wealth satisfying, many are also haunted by a spirit of unhappiness. His research shows that once people’s earnings rise above the poverty level, an even larger income contributes almost nothing to happiness. Their main sources of well-being are friendships and a good family life, not possessions. In fact, increased prosperity often has a negative affect: as wealth increases, family and community erode, and individuals become more distrustful of each other. This makes sense when you consider that often in prosperity we become more self-indulgent. That makes us more self-centered and difficult for others to deal with, and so relationships suffer. Dissatisfaction increases when what we own owns us. Possessions enslave us, requiring our time and money to clean, maintain and store.”
Robert Lane, from his research entitled “The Loss of Happiness” in Market Economies as cited by Jan Johnson in Abundant Simplicity (Downers Grove: IVP, 2011) 78.