On Being Humble

I have been asking myself this question a lot lately: Where do you draw the line between being grateful for what you have versus just wanting more out of life?
How do we know when we are settling for less than we want in life? How do we know when we have given up on trying to pursue the dream and have sunk down into the dreadful decay of being comfortable? It seems to me that there should be some kind of siren or flashing bright lights to let us know that we are sliding in reverse towards a steep ravine.

How do we know when we should stop asking for more? When do we realize that we are sitting on a giant garbage yard heap full of things that we don’t really want and don’t really use as we fill out an order form demanding more. Shouldn’t there also be a siren with flashing lights that goes off when we become the giant man or woman who barely fits at the table but is somehow asking for second and third helpings?

Even in this economy, while friends and loved ones are losing their jobs and settling fewer wages and fewer benefits, are we really so much worse off? Or have we grown so accustomed to a particular way of life that we no longer know the difference between what we have to have and what we want to have? Have we forgotten the difference between need and luxury? Sometimes, I fear that we have.
Somewhere, there is a fine line between settling and being greedy, particularly in the U.S. I have not yet found exactly where that line is. I just hope I figure out where it sits and get myself on the right side. I do not want to settle, but I do not want to forget what I need to be grateful for.