Man has worked towards simplifying his life right from the Stone Age. Be it through his discovery of fire or invention of the wheel, the strove to reduce the effort he expended in life. However, today, in this quest to make his life simpler, it seems like he is defeating the very purpose of this action.
He wakes up early, not to enjoy a beautiful sunrise but to plan ahead for the rest of the day. Rushes to offices not because of love for work, but because he is caught up in the endless grind to earn a living – a high living that is better than what he had yesterday. Comes home, not to his family, but to a pile of bills that are waiting to be paid. Sure, the kitchens have the latest appliances, living rooms have the best of home theatre systems, and patios have the best furniture pieces. But, he is nowhere in the picture to enjoy these.
Mahatma Gandhi was once asked to describe an ideal life style and he responded by saying “Simple Living and High Thinking”. Simple living is the right way to live. One does not get lasting happiness by living a flashy lifestyle… We do not need branded clothes to wear or have wardrobes full of designer clothes. Simple fare would be far better than straining our system with huge variety of exotic food frequently. Partying every other night neither wins us lifelong friends nor does it permanently remove our boredom. To commute one does not need top-end vehicles. No point in having huge fuel guzzling vehicles to move around.
Simple living does not necessarily mean giving up all worldly pleasures to lead the life of a monk. Simple living means having the ability to feel content with what one has acquired. The one who has no contentment is like a bottomless pit – no matter what one puts into it, no matter how much one puts into it, it is bound to seem empty and darkness is all he will find when one looks into it.
If we were to reduce our needs to the bare minimum, we would start being less demanding on the precious and limited resources of the earth. We would start showing consideration for our fellow beings who may not be as well endowed as us. By reducing our demand, we would check inflation and help in making things more affordable for others.
High thinking is what will help us on our evolutionary path. Human beings are superior because we can think far better than other beings. We should make use of this faculty to probe further into the real purpose of our existence and what we need to do to reach our goals. High thinking also refers to rising above petty and mundane issues. As ones spiritual growth increases, one tends to think about higher things and does not get trapped and lost in the usual worldly matters.
In our times we tend to confuse simple living with lack of ambition. If we see someone leading a simple life, the general tendency is to assume that the person lacks the firepower needed to lead a successful life. What we need to understand is that such a person is at peace. And when you are at peace, you are successful in your own right.
