*****

I was just watching an episode of The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, and I heard Jerry Seinfeld say he’s always over-thinking things (before he said Jimmy was the sort of guy who’s always positive, in so many words). And, it sent my mind spiraling down a rabbit hole of introspection.

I hear that term so often…over-thinking. I do think quite a bit. I do analyze, question, theorize, suspect and…too often, unwillingly criticize (and do not enjoy it nor what comes as consequence). But, I refuse to submit to the finger-pointing and judgment that likes to think “over-” is a bad thing…because, if you look hard enough, I am sure we are all over-something.

[But, let it be known, my over-thinking is a by-product of perpetually being under-something, as well, at the same time. I am under-fed in terms of social interaction and general good luck. As much as I like to think I’m a good guy, my misfortunes send me reeling, withdrawing into a quiet place where only my thoughts can sustain me. So, yeah; I invest most of my energy in thought. And, for those who benefit from that thought, you should be/feel welcome. It’s my gift to you. Respect it. Don’t abuse or mistreat it. It’s not a party trick or stage show for your amusement and critique. I’m not your entertainer, your butler/maid or ATM of therapy.]

Over- is another way of saying wealth…isn’t it? And, it’s also, likely, a synonym for potential.

If you need a good example of how the above equation works, look at the most common understanding of wealth, money. When you have a lot of money, you’re rich. What is money? Money is potential energy/fuel/resource to acquire/buy/spend or employ (others) to achieve some desired goal. It’s not food but it can get someone to make/bring you food, sometimes. It’s not water or anything that can cleanse your being. It’s potential energy.

But, how often do people say…

“You’re over-rich.”

or

“You’re over-earning.”

I don’t think those words have ever been uttered or written…until just now. [Yaaay. I’m a first. Woo.] Or, was something rather similar used in A Christmas Carol? About Scrooge? I’m not sure. Someone look into that for me. 😛

If you sat five people together and compared wealth of hair, unless they were all balding, you might become aware of how one of the five is envied more than the others for that person’s wealth. They have the most hair…maybe too much hair. It’s not too much hair. It’s just MORE than YOU have.

Do you look at a tree, which produces an abundance of seed and leaves, or a dandelion, which turns gray and casts its seed out into the air, where it annoys anyone with allergies…and say, “Hey, plant! You’re over-seeding!” [Do you even notice your neighboring trees and flowers, if you’re not already so consumed by your buzzing, radiating technology and vain affairs?]

And, what about the pine trees that drop sooo many needles which burn the grass under their branches, leaving reddish-brown barren soil. Do you suspect the grass ever kicks up a fuss and says, “Yo, pine-face! You’re over-shedding! You really burn me up!”

The trees have a wealth of something. And, what they produce isn’t always appreciated. Who really enjoys raking leaves or cleaning out gutters clogged with what trees produce?

Yet, it doesn’t stop us from planting and favoring trees for their aesthetic beauty or, if you have any common ecological sense, the clean air and atmosphere they help produce. You wouldn’t even be walking the planet, right now, if there weren’t, at least, enough plants to hold it together and stimulate an atmosphere worth breathing. And, anyone who uses wood or other plant materials in their crafting (or home construction) would be crawling on their knees and turning to shady, unnatural plastic or metal crafting if they didn’t have the blessing of trees, those otherwise obnoxious overly spawning obstacles of fauna. You’d be mining your planet dry until the ground crumbled underfoot.

But, if you have a small-minded outlook, an impoverished, negative outlook, you might be annoyed by the trees and flowers. I know I hate allergy season and can get quite angry at the plants when they turn on me, when they get in my way of enjoying life. Yet, that’s life for them. That’s their nature. They are what they are and produce what they do. Is that so wrong? Or, are they just getting in *my* way?

Wealth isn’t necessarily bad. But, if you lack the same wealth, you may become annoyed/agitated. And, if you have to be around someone or something producing a wealth/abundance of something, it might crowd/suffocate you. It might dwarf you and make you feel endangered.

——-

Truth be told…if one person/being holds all of something and doesn’t apply/spread it, somehow, it would be a devastating monopoly of that resource. So, there is a point where wealth IS too much…when it looks more like greed or insatiable hunger. But, that wealthy being won’t realize the mistake until it’s too late…until life ceases around them and they have to flee in search of other shelter (on another planet, perhaps).

And, as I said of myself, if I am over-thinking, it’s a by-product of lacking something else. It’s an imbalance, in a way. But, until I can find that better balance, I have that wealth of thought…which isn’t necessarily bad.

An apple tree can have a surplus of fruit and fall over from the weight. A buxom beauty can feel slowed down by her wealth of breasts. You can relieve the apple tree by picking some apples and putting them to good use. And, I suppose, you could perform surgery on the buxom beauty to lighten her load…but, personally, that seems like a crime of nature to me. [Yet, why would any higher power give a woman more bosom than she can carry? And, what is she supposed to do with that wealth?]

I don’t hoard my thoughts. I share them, frequently. And, too often, they are not appreciated in a way that reassures me.

Just as having a wealth of money isn’t necessarily bad…if you eventually put it to good use. A big vault of money is just a waste of space. And, the most generous person who is able to throw money around isn’t really helping the world, either, because it’s only fueling that term “economy” which was designed to create some kind of order, putting out the desire to riot and rebel against authority…even though money still does just that; it’s always a matter of distress and potential rioting. So, in a way, all monetary wealth is an illusion and waste of resources…which is why you see so much buzz about virtual/digital currency, versus paper and coin. But, is that really going to solve the problem of quarrels over monetary excess/wealth and poverty?  No.

I could spend another hour or more and pages of space on how those with wealth are prodded to give, to be charitable, to spread the wealth, to market themselves, etc. But, I won’t.

——–

The same can be said of anyone who is wealthy, or abundant, in something. And, though they are wealthy, that doesn’t mean you have to be annoyed by them…but we are. Why is that?

It’s that ancient seed someone planted that stirs the pot of the “haves” and “have-nots.” It’s the seed of strife and conflict, never satisfied…because, if that seed ever fully blossomed, the world would probably self-destruct from the *wealth* (or surplus) of want. The world would claw itself apart until nothing but crumbs were left. The evil weed would have succeeded in eliminating all viable soil. Nothing more would grow. The planet and all of its assets would cease to exist.

If you’ve ever heard an old line about money being a root of evil and/or idle hands being evil’s plaything, is it possible that’s just a variation of that itch that comes from the “have-not” weed? Is it possible all of human distress comes from some big, menacing pot of gossip regarding what one has and one does not?

…Wait. Look at what I just said. What one has and one does not. The latter part…what one does not. If you do not, you’re not doing (something). When you’re not doing something, you’re idle. When a car idles, it’s not going anywhere and may be losing fuel/resources if the lights are on or the engine’s running. But, if that car is lit and/or running, it still has resources and the potential to do something. Is that bad? Or, should every car always be driving to the limit every second of its existence?

If every car was on a road driving itself dry, what would you say?

That’s a lot of noise, pollution and traffic. Right? You’re sure to find yourself in a sea of vehicles. It’s too much. Well, at least, it’s more than the rest of the world has…the part of the world that isn’t overrun with vehicles and their mad drivers.

If you’re not doing something, some would say you’re wasting time. Others would say you must have a wealth of free time. They envy you because they use their time some other way and feel, in some way, distressed by their lifestyle, by their choices.

Those without may be over-something, as well.

If you worry too much, you exhaust your stamina and go hungry…or hangry. [But, worry is a form of thought…so that might fall into the wealth of thought and may be cautious thinking others just don’t appreciate/understand. Still, you need to stay hydrated and fed (when you’re worrying).]

If you work too much, you could do the same or seriously injure/cripple yourself. [Okay. Now, there’s one instance when over isn’t wealth. You cannot have a wealth of labor if it results in disability and/or lingering misery. So, what do you call that (then)? Or, is that a wealth of labor which isn’t properly distributed/applied? Is that misused labor? You could say over-working someone is giving one person too much work; the workload needs to be distributed among more workers/helpers. Similarly, you cannot be a lucrative producer of merchandise with just one customer, even if that person is the only person on the planet with all of the money. What kind of business is that, if only one person on the whole planet steps forward to buy something? And, what stops that one person from taking over your business so they don’t have to spend any money? But, you might suddenly say you no longer feel like producing anything–in the face of such an overwhelming financial force–and leave that customer wanting, oblivious to the influence, the power of their own wealth.]

[And, breathe…]

So, you see, all of you who have ever been told you’re over-something. You’re not a bad person. You’re not over-anything. You’re just more than the person or people near you, like that pine (or EVER-GREEN) tree burning the soil at its root with its own “sweat.” You’re just wealthy (and sweaty). And, aren’t you lucky. We all are…somehow, I’m sure.

‘Too bad we can’t all accept and work together with that. Blame the weed. Just think of what we could accomplish if we didn’t waste so much time and energy pointing fingers at everyone’s wealth with an unpleasant taste in our mouths, with acid or venom on our tongues.

———-

If you encounter someone who is over-something or has a wealth/surplus, don’t just point a finger or complain. Find a way to balance that individual. Prop up that overloaded fruit tree so it can continue feeding us all. Give that buxom beauty a better undergarment to support her figure so she can move comfortably. Help that “scrooge” put his or her money to good use. [I said good use. Not good-for-you-alone use.] Let’s balance our world and spend less on “over-time.”

If you find me over-thinking, what can you do to help put my thoughts to good use, to make me feel more productive and full of purpose? How can you balance my “excess” of thought and “lack” of productivity? I can tell you, right now, you’re barking up the wrong tree if you only tell me what I’m not doing, talk about selling myself or yank me out of my comfort zone without adequate support/reassurance. But, if you come forward and see how your ideas can mesh with my ideas and produce something we both approve, you’re the stuff of legends, my friend.