Nancy Gibbs of TIME writes, . . . "we stopped buying all the stuff we didn't need that was supposed to make us happier, and we seem to be happier for it. And who would have expected that?"

Nancy's article explores why Americans are becoming cheerier even though they have lost economically, and the truth is; the less we have, the less we have to worry about, and the less we worry, the more time we have to see beauty of trees, and the wonder of the universe and contemplate our part in it. Without possessions getting in our way, we become human beings again.

When we live in fear, which results from hanging on to our possessions, then anger and hatred results. Fear is a funny animal. We express it as anger and hatred because how else could we relieve ourselves of it? And we can't keep it bottled up, that would be too painful.

Having so much stuff led us into this fear mentality that was capitalized by the hate radio bunch and the general fear mongers of the left and right in order to score political points . . . And for what? To get themselves more power, which in turn gets them more stuff, both materially and egotistically, which are both huge burdens!

Only when we are free of our stuff can we really see with insight how this all comes down - how childish is the quest for power, things and security. How self-defeating, in that so much effort is expended for literally nothing but illusion.

The fear residue of the past 30 years is still keeping the fear mongers busy, but this will fade out in time. Their popularity will wane. The highly successful disaster and horror movies currently in vogue reflect the old days of fear and not the new reality of unattachment to stuff.

They will not do particularly well at the box office or get great reviews because they are from the past; it‘s the films which reflect real insight into future trends that make the impression.

Keep an eye out for the one that touches that fledgling chord in our spirit that is beginning to awaken to a new day that is coming, when all that we fuss and argue about is seen for what it is; our fear of losing all that stuff which makes us unhappy anyway!

Look carefully at where your stress is. If you are sensitive, you can feel it. You can feel the physical sensations of a mild adrenalin rush, an increased heartbeat, subtle anger that creates an urge to strike back or a feeling that you must right a wrong. Or that you must change someone's mind.

This is all stressful. This causes an underlying unhappiness whether you "win" or "lose," because there is no winning or losing ultimately, only the happiness or fear that you feel in in this moment.

Anytime that you rely of stuff, which means material stuff or psychological (spiritual) stuff, and once you dig your heels in with strong, unyielding opinions, you are guaranteed not to be happy even though you may talk yourself into thinking that you are.

Let go if you can, of as much as you can. That‘s where you will find peace; that‘s where you will find contentment; and that‘s where you will become a complete human being.

Anagarika eddie is a meditation teacher at the Dhammabucha Rocksprings Meditation Retreat Sanctuary www.dhammarocksprings.org and author of A Year to Enlightenment. His 30 years of meditation experience has taken him across four continents including two stopovers in Thailand where he practiced in the remote northeast forests as an ordained Thervada Buddhist monk.

He lived at Wat Pah Nanachat under Ajahn Chah, at Wat Pah Baan Taad under Ajahn Maha Boowa, and at Wat Pah Daan Wi Weg under Ajahn Tui. He had been a postulant at Shasta Abbey, a Zen Buddhist monastery in northern California under Roshi Kennett; and a Theravada Buddhist anagarika at both Amaravati Monastery in the UK and Bodhinyanarama Monastery in New Zealand, both under Ajahn Sumedho. The author has meditated with the Korean Master Sueng Sahn Sunim; with Bhante Gunaratana at the Bhavana Society in West Virginia; and with the Tibetan Master Trungpa Rinpoche in Boulder, Colorado. He has also practiced at the Insight Meditation Society in Barre, Massachusetts, and the Zen Center in San Francisco.