A Man Should Always Consider

A man should always consider how much he has more than he wants.

Joseph Addison

There’s a math formula for many hobbies like fountain pens and guitars or, in my wife’s case, yarn, that dictates one always wants N+1 where “N” is the current number of things one already owns. It’s silly and dumb. There’s also acronyms that describe these types of faulty thoughts such as “Pen Acquisition Disorder (PAD)” or “Guitar Acquisition Syndrome (GAS)”. “Oooh, if I had that new guitar I’d certainly play better” or “that’s such a lovely fountain pen, surely I’d write more and better with it.” Dumb. And it’s not just with hobbies that I’ll find myself falling into that type of trap, it’s lots of things in life where I’ll ruminate “if I could get X then Y will be better.” It’s never ending. And a stupid way for me to spend my energy.

About the author

Joseph Addison (1 May 1672 – 17 June 1719) was an English essayist, poet, playwright and politician. He was the eldest son of The Reverend Lancelot Addison. His name is usually remembered alongside that of his long-standing friend Richard Steele, with whom he founded The Spectator magazine. His simple prose style marked the end of the mannerisms and conventional classical images of the 17th century. It is as an essayist that Addison is remembered today. He began writing essays quite casually. In April 1709, his childhood friend Richard Steele started the Tatler. Addison contributed 42 essays to the Tatler, while Steele wrote 188. Regarding Addison’s help, Steele remarked, “when I had once called him in, I could not subsist without dependence on him”.