Three sessions: Sundays 5:00-7:00pm Feb. 15, March 1, March 15

How Much Is Enough?

A Three-Session Premise Pod

Most of us can feel it, even if we don't say it out loud: the goalpost keeps moving. A raise comes, and life fills right up. A new purchase thrills, and then it becomes normal. We compare without meaning to. We worry about security and also crave beauty, ease, and freedom. And somewhere underneath all of it is a question that's both practical and deeply personal:

How much is enough?

In this three-session Pod, we'll sit with that question in a way our culture rarely makes room for. Not as a budgeting exercise. Not as a sermon about simplicity. And not as a debate about who's right. Instead, we'll use powerful stories, sharp arguments, and a few unforgettable scenes to look at the forces that shape desire, status, contentment, guilt, generosity, and the quiet fear of not having enough.

You'll meet three times with the same group, guided by a trained Premise facilitator. Prep takes < 2 hours.

What We'll Read and Watch

Session 1: The Moving Goalpost

What Would It Take to Feel Satisfied?

• Anton Chekhov, "The Lottery Ticket"

• Toni Cade Bambara, "The Lesson"

• The Cut, "A Classic Psychology Study on Why Winning the Lottery Won't Make You Happier"

• Tressie McMillan Cottom, "The Logic of Stupid Poor People"

• Kurt Vonnegut, "Joe Heller" (poem)

Session 2: The Cost of Comfort

How Much Is Enough When Others Have Too Little?

• Leo Tolstoy, "How Much Land Does a Man Need?"

• Ursula K. Le Guin, "The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas"

• Peter Singer, "Solution to World Poverty"

• Counterpoint essay from Aeon challenging anti-consumption narratives

Session 3: Living with Enough

What Might 'Enough' Look Like in Practice?

• Robin Wall Kimmerer, "The Honorable Harvest" (from Braiding Sweetgrass)

• Vicki Robin and Joe Dominguez, excerpt from Your Money or Your Life

• Seneca, selections from "On the Happy Life"

• Film: The Queen of Versailles

• Wendell Berry, "Manifesto: The Mad Farmer Liberation Front"

Learn more about Premise Pods