Embracing 'Being' over 'Having'

This precept is strongly elucidated in Erich Fromm's To Have or To Be?, published in 1976. In it, he asserts that there are two primary modes of existence that struggle to inform the spirit of humankind: the 'having' mode and the 'being' mode. ¹

Having vs. Being

The 'Having' orientation emphasizes materialism, consumption, power, and ownership. Where a person may lack any of these in any overt way, they often attempt to claim ownership over what they can (which often shows up as an attachment or over-identification with one's identity or 'personality type') – at the extreme end of blatant 'having' orientation we find a tendency towards greed, envy, violence, and power over others.

The 'Being' orientation emphasizes presence, experience, and relationship – being in relationship to one's body, plants, personal 'weather patterns', and the dynamic of change inherent in each.

Generally, the 'having' orientation is associated with psychological states that generate anxiety, stress, and scarcity mindset, whereas the 'being' orientation is associated with psychological states that generate acceptance, gratitude, and a sense of abundance.

1: Erich Fromm, To Have or to Be?, Reprint edition, Bloomsbury Revelations (London ; New York: Bloomsbury Academic, an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing Plc, 2015).