“To find the universal elements enough; to find the air and the water exhilarating; to be refreshed by a morning walk or an evening saunter… to be thrilled by the stars at night; to be elated over a bird’s nest or a wildflower in spring — these are some of the rewards of the simple life.” John Burroughs
“A simple life is not seeing how little we can get by with—that’s poverty—but how efficiently we can put first things first. . . . When you’re clear about your purpose and your priorities, you can painlessly discard whatever does not support these, whether it’s clutter in your cabinets or commitments on your calendar.” Victoria Moran
“Simplicity is complex. It’s never simple to keep things simple. Simple solutions require the most advanced thinking.” Richie Norton
All the huge egos, including our own, are due to our attempts to find an unadorned life. That appears to sound contradictory, but actually the boastful people are just as unsure of themselves as the rest of us. They are hiding behind a different rock. Human nature bestows similar wants and needs. For the most part the needs are the same. Perhaps the wants differ somewhat but the desire for a happy simple life is attractive to most of us.
Perhaps we begin our adult life yearning for the usual attractions of house, car and family. Our thoughts are likely at the seedling form, at this point in time. So how is it we complicate our lives with distractions? It is easy. In many harmless ideas, we buy more items, create more fixtures, add more attractions and activities. One day, we wake up to a more complicated life.
The strange thing is we begin blaming the spouse or children for our unbalanced and burdensome life. We question how it developed into such a harried life. There are so many distractions, that plant seeds in our brains. They grow like weeds and eventually get out of control. On any given day we travel from one thought to another and can barely keep up with the demands of our concepts.
Almost at the point of overload, we begin attending to the ideas and bringing them to fruition. The variety of notions is exciting. Now our lives take on a new dimension. We no longer need to consider just what the kids or spouse is doing, but what the plans are for bigger nd better. In a sense we are traveling down an exciting road, but one that leads no where. Our focus is on entertainment, even if we don’t recognize it, in the present moment.
The bigger yard demands more attention, or more money to have it looked after. Every item calls for more money, which places demands on us. We can’t leave the job we have, which pays a good salary, for one that we’d like to work at, which offers a lower pay. We settle because the desires are overwhelming and settled within our minds. They exhibit attractive pictures of what we already have, or items we might have at a future time. They overtake our senses.
Have you noticed that many times our conversations with others reflect on buying new things, visiting new places, finding new restaurants, and enjoying new adventures? The conversations sometimes serve to plant the seeds of new inspirations. Our reflections are not focusing on the spouse or family. We are inspired to see our exciting new plans grow into a reality.
So many of us complain about not having enough time to do the things we want. We feel drained and caught between juggling the children’s activities and our own. Perhaps we have simply complicated our lives with nonsense. Maybe if we pulled up some of the weeds, our lives would appear more trouble-free. Perhaps we don’t have to replace everything with something bigger or more efficient. Just because a car can speed to 250 miles does not mean we are ever going to go that fast.
Is it the bragging we desire, or the attention? Perhaps we all have so many weeds that we are comparing our gardens to see who has a worthier conception. It is extremely difficult to find our way out of the mess. It is also hard to prioritize our lives. We need the jobs to pay for the bills, and huge amount of peripheral items. We have less time for the things that matter most. We are so busy with our complicated lives that most of us are on auto-pilot.
It isn’t really all that difficult to get caught up in a tangle of weeds. We all do it in one form or another. If it isn’t our items or activities, it perhaps is our kids. Most kids don’t have to think about playtime, because they are involved in many outside activities. Whatever the case, it seems to me, that it is time to have lives that are uncomplicated. I know it isn’t easy because I am in the process at the moment. Once you attempt to sit outside the weed garden, you begin to comprehend the magnetic pull it has. The worldly attractions are too numerous to count.
After watching people often inhale deeply, as they attend to their many tasks, and listening to the complaints, about their mounting burdens, I am seeing a pattern. The distractions are fake. Without them our lives would be easier, and our thought processes would increase. I don’t believe we would see ourselves as failures, as often as we do today. So many of us are exceptional, in what we accomplish, yet we never have faith that it is enough. We don’t believe we measure-up, unless we have the many toys.
I really don’t mean to insult those of us with boats etc. If that is something you enjoy that is fantastic. I am pointing out our swaying, between the many distractions of the world, right down to the latest styles in clothing. Shopping constantly draws many of us into buying items we don’t even need. I deliberately am attempting to steer clear of stores, unless I know specifically what I am looking for. The temptation of the item or its price can be too overwhelming to resist.
The majority of people do a great job, surviving the many obstacles they confront, on a daily basis. Even our relationships come into jeopardy. So many surveys, tell us whether or not we should be happy, or worried, about our marriages. If one spouse or another, does not receive certain requirements from the mate, the union is in distress, so they say. Many people now have the seed of doubt in their minds, and ponder just how well the marriage is. Those who didn’t question before are now questioning. Perhaps other people within our place of employment, are looking better than our spouse.
All of the doubt and fear is fabricated, most of the time. The need to see through the pitfalls and understand that as humans, we all face similar issues, is allowing one’s self to be in the know. We are the ones that must change. The surroundings won’t. The problems will likely be equivalent, within a new relationship. How do we think that magically we won’t face any problems. The requirements for an awesome marriage remain similar. Children will always need attention and draw it away from the adults. Spouses require nurturing from each other. Accepting the reality and dealing with our thoughts on the subject, is crucial. Changing what we can is what must be accomplished. Weeding the garden is probably the best thing we can do.
We can stop the fears, stress to a point, and the false temptations of better. Observe these as the unworthy distractions that they are. Even our kids do not need all of the entertainment we provide to them and ourselves. Being real is more important. Are we real? Are we living a life, or searching for a dream world of pleasure, that leaves us is failure. There are so many weeds, and no one can carry a burden indefinitely.
The added distractions of technology, have without a doubt multiplied the weeds. Perhaps more than any other time in the life of the world, it has become necessary to cut down or pull the weeds. They are at the point of choking us. I use technology but I see its’ damage, influence, power and ability to destroy all life. We are so overtaken with technology. Perhaps our last free will choice, is to put the devices away for the sake of humanity.
“No man with a complex life can be happy! The simple secret of the happiness is simple life!” Mehmet Murat Ildan
“The complexity of your earthly array is not a guarantee for a truimphant eternity. The fact is that you need a simple life to go to heaven; not an excessively glittering body, shiny lips and charming face.” Israelmore Ayivor
“Luxury Living Low Thinking Simple Living High Thinking” Baba Tunde Ojo-Olubiyo
“Many of us have not been informed of the simple fact that as we go deeper into the rat race we ultimately become the things that are acquired, owned and consumed.” Chris La Plante
“First I was dying to finish high school and start college. And then I was dying to finish college and start working. And then I was dying to marry and have children. And then I was dying for my children to grow old enough for school so I could return to work. And then I was dying to retire. And now I am dying… and suddenly realize I forgot to live.” Author Unknown
