I have opened up about simple life in my previous article. But what does it mean to live a simple life? Does that mean having only two pairs of clothes and a small house, or is it something else?
Well, it is more than just money, clothes or a house! It is a lifestyle.
We become slaves to our wants. Wants without which we think we can not live.
There’s a difference between needs and wants.
For example, I asked my friend a year ago, “hey, buy a car now! You have money.” She said, “No, I don’t think I need a car right now. Just because I have money doesn’t mean I should buy it.” I got convinced.
Recently, she called me and told me, “hey, I bought a car.” I asked her, “ohh how come?” She said, “because today a car is my need, I’m posted in a rural area. Last year it would have been my want as I didn’t need it then.”
This conversation clearly distinguished my thoughts about needs and wants. And to live simply, we must know how to differentiate between our wants and needs.
Living need-based leads to simple living.
You could be a person who can afford and fulfill your wants but maybe living beyond your needs.
We need to live need-based. Why do I think this way?
Simple living is not just another way to have a healthy lifestyle, but it does have brilliant effects on the universe around us.
When we limit our wants first and then our needs, we change our life from being wanting more mode to a satisfactory mode. Wanting more mode makes our lives restless, run for more, and do something that is not ethical. But in the simple mode, we don’t run to possess more and more. We become more peaceful.
Our change reduces our utilization of resources and certainly helps nature to allocate them to other needy people. For example, if we start cooking enough to serve us and don’t waste food, it will help other needy people access those.
One day my friend asked me, “it’s okay to live simply, but I think you should at least maintain your standard of living. You should have a collection of different watches, clothes as per your position.” I told him only one thing, “what difference will it make for others if I have one watch or two? Ultimately, watch shows time only, right?”
So, dear, all I want is to bring a slight change in society. A lifestyle that will help all of us to live a peaceful, calm, and simple life.
