Have you ever stopped for a moment and thought about all the things that you possess and all the things that you spend your money on and wonder what the point of it all is?
Lately I've been doing a lot of this. I find that we, as humans, spend so much time and money investing in things that promise to bring us joy. All we have to do is turn on the TV or listen to the radio and we are immediately bombarded with advertisements for the newest phone, car, internet service, video game, clothes etc. The advertisements themselves might not necessary persuade us into buying these things that we don't necessarily need, but that combined with seeing other people walking around with these fancy objects makes me feel like we are missing out on something. For example, when the smartphones began to come out only a very few people had them. It was mostly high-end professional that got them as company phones and then we were fascinated with how they function and the glitz and glamor behind them. Now there are a small majority of people that don't own a smartphone and if you are part of that small majority you are immediately judged as inferior or even laughed at for possessing "old" technology.
My question to you then is, what do these things do for us? How does having the latest shoes, the newest model of a cell phone, the newest/biggest TV improve our lives? What enlightenment do these object posses?
I look around the house at the things that I own and I can't say that any of them add value to my life. Sure I am thankful for them and blessed that I have them, but could I live with out them? Yes! That ultimately is the truth of life, and the idea of living simply. The things that I own that are of the most value to me are things that were given to me as gifts from those that I love and most of those are thoughtful, hand-made or even enlightening gifts that bring a sense of joy and peace in my life.
To live simply is not to devoid your self of material things, but it is to not be wasteful. Don't buy the $150 shoe when you can buy a similar pair for $35. Don't spend time, money and energy investing into things that don't bring with them inner peace and happiness. Ultimately the objects will fade away but your inner peace will always be there even if there are no objects around! So take the challenge, for the next month be watchful of the things that you do and see if you can live simply.
With peace & happiness
People look at me like I'm crazy when I tell them that we don't have cable... Haha. It is expensive and we would waste too much time with it!!!! You are so right about simple living!
ReplyDeleteI totally get it. I don't have a TV (and therefore no cable). It's so expensive and honestly quite a waste of money when you could easily be spending your time doing something better. I'm glad to see more young people realize the importance of simple living! :)
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