I recall once seeing a video of an interview between Australian journalist George Negus and the late reggae artist Bob Marley. During the meeting, the following dialogue resulted:
Negus: Do you make a lot of money out of your music?
Marley: Money…I mean, what is a…how much, how much is a lot of money to you?
Negus: That’s a good question. Have you made, say, millions of dollars?
Marley: Nah.
Negus: Are you a rich man?
Marley: When you mean rich, what d’you mean?
Negus: Do you have a lot of possessions, a lot of money in the bank?
Marley: Possessions make you rich? I don’t have that type of richness. My richness is life, forever.
One presumes there was a distinct misalignment of values regarding purpose and meaning, and what constituted a well-lived life, regarding the journalist and the artist. Personally, possessions aren’t what enrich life.
I’ve heard some people say that money can’t buy happiness. I’ve heard others declare that riches can at least make a down payment on joy and pleasure. Per my view, monetary wealth may be correlated with, though isn’t fully responsible for, the sort of contentment I seek in this existence.
Ultimately, and although I remain agnostic about eternal life, I don’t derive wealth from money. To me, there’s more to life than material possessions. Also, it would appear as though lyricist Locksmith understands this realization. On his track “Your Loss,” he states:
Ain’t funny how people have an effect on you
Interfere, so their inner-fears project on you
Any opportunity given, they try to step on you
When it happens, you[’re] happy, ‘cause now it’s less on you
Free to pursue your dreams without strings
‘Cause you could be rich even without things
Accustomed to customizing a life that you knew was never right
Now, you pray just to get out clean
So put your pride on some sabbatical
There’s not a person on Earth that’s infallible
Never thought that these words was this powerful
Make ‘em pay, they ever doubted you
Through the lens of Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT), a psychotherapeutic modality that incorporates Stoicism into the model, it would seem as though Marley and Locksmith understood the Stoic virtue of temperance or moderation. I, too, favor this ethical principle.
This is one reason why I mostly wear a plain black t-shirt and sit in front of an unexciting white wall when meeting with clients via teletherapy sessions. While I could dress to impress, the product I’m delivering isn’t a flashy appearance.
Rather, I aim to help people get better instead of merely feeling better in regard to various issues with which they attend sessions. I’ve no interest in pretentiously donning expensive suits or pompously displaying jam-packed bookcases behind me, as some psychotherapists tend to do.
Presenting an image of making it rain dollar bills isn’t of value to me, nor is displayed accumulation of possessions. As Locksmith stated, a fallible individual can be rich without things. Similarly, as queried by Marley, “Possessions make you rich?”
I don’t have that type of richness. My richness is in knowledge of how to assist people with improving their lives. And in this vein, I’ll never know all there is to know, so my thirst for information stems from a place of impoverishment. Of course, there’s no shame in ignorance.
Applying the Stoic virtue of temperance or moderation, I gain wealth through the investigation of truth and by sharing what I (l)earn with others. Naturally, my chosen lifestyle – one devoted to a form of imperfect rational living – doesn’t make me better than the next person.
Just as I’ve no interest in maintenance of a façade when meeting with clients, I’m disinterested in competing with people for determination of who is better than other individuals. I don’t have that type of insolvent moral character. Perhaps pity is warranted for those who suffer such aims.
In any case, I don’t think possessions make you rich – not from the perspective described herein. Therefore, I remain ready to share the wealth I’ve amassed in knowledge about REBT with those who seek abundance of a life well-lived while headed toward an inevitable death.
If you’re looking for a provider who works to help you understand how thinking impacts physical, mental, emotional, and behavioral elements of your life, I invite you to reach out today by using the contact widget on my website.
As the world’s foremost old school hip hop REBT psychotherapist, I’m pleased to help people with an assortment of issues from anger (hostility, rage, and aggression) to relational issues, adjustment matters, trauma experience, justice involvement, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, anxiety and depression, and other mood or personality-related matters.
At Hollings Therapy, LLC, serving all of Texas, I aim to treat clients with dignity and respect while offering a multi-lensed approach to the practice of psychotherapy and life coaching. My mission includes: Prioritizing the cognitive and emotive needs of clients, an overall reduction in client suffering, and supporting sustainable growth for the clients I serve. Rather than simply helping you to feel better, I want to help you get better!
Deric Hollings, LPC, LCSW
References:
DaggerZ. (2021, April 3). Bob Marley interview on 60 Minutes - Original unedited [Video]. YouTube. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/dJEv59OloZU?si=wAJFIV8TAeL5je5G
Freepik. (n.d.). View of man handling money and funds for wealth prosperity [Image]. Retrieved from https://www.freepik.com/free-ai-image/view-man-handling-money-funds-wealth-prosperity_236221581.htm#fromView=search&page=1&position=14&uuid=2a13d622-0c0d-43d1-b122-531c2c1ec83e
Hollings, D. (2024, July 17). Confession through projection. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/confession-through-projection
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Hollings, D. (2022, September 3). You gon’ die: The existential window. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/you-gon-die-the-existential-window
IamLocksmith. (2014, August 5). Locksmith – “Your Loss” feat. Anesha [Video]. YouTube. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/YvLjJqRHS1Q?si=CdTT7PYZffvdgCO2
Wikipedia. (n.d.). Bob Marley. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_marley
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