Photo by Dan Erickson
Occasionally, I write a poem at Hip Diggs. Today, the poem is more of a parable. I’m a creative writer at heart. In fact, it’s my belief that minimalism and creativity work well together. By having less stuff, I’m able to be more creative. And even within creativity, I’ve discovered that less is often better.
A father asked his two sons what they desired in life.
“If you could have anything you wanted,
what would it be?” he asked.
The older brother quickly blurted out a stream of wants:
“A mansion on the hill with a six-car garage,
a Ferrari and a Cadillac and a Harley Davidson and a speedboat,
and…”
The boy continued with a long list of material wants.
Finally, his father stopped him and asked,
“Don’t you think that’s enough?”
“No! I want more!” the boy shouted.
“You shall get more,” his father responded,
“but first let your little brother speak.”
The younger brother spoke one word.
“Less,” he said.
His father questioned him, “Less than what?”
The boy explained, “I want to be a great musician.
That means I’ll need to focus on one thing.
Music.
All the other stuff would only distract me.
So I want less than my brother.”
Meanwhile…
The older brother started listing off more.
The father stopped him and said,
“You will get more. You’ll have more debt
and more responsibility. You’ll work twice
as hard as your brother. You’ll have little time with
your children. You’ll struggle with relationships.
You’ll have much discontent.
In desiring more, you’ll get more.”
Then the father turned to the younger brother.
“Whatever instrument you want to play,” he said,
“it is yours. I will provide you with the one thing that
will lead you to achieving your dreams.
And you will practice and you’ll be great.
You’ll work hard, but in the end you’ll have
less worries, less pain, less heartache.
And you’ll always be satisfied with what you have.”
Learn About My Creative Writing
Before I started Hip Diggs, I wrote at danerickson.net.
I wrote my first book, A Train Called Forgiveness, entirely online. That blog has since gone through some changes. I had to eliminate hundreds of posts and restart due to corrupt files a few years ago. But I still post at danerickson.net. You can learn more about me and my creative writing by visiting the following pages:
