Vacation from more

The media constantly barrages us with messages of more: buy more than we need, eat more, drink more, work harder, push, push, push. These crazy messages prompt us to act in ways we might otherwise not. Today I take a reprieve from cultural messages and listen to my own voice.



Find Light in Dark Times cover

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Hone self-
awareness

Note the difference between self-
consciousness and self-awareness. When I am self-conscious I fear having the wrong appearance or doing the wrong thing. Self-awareness has balance. It forms the basis for the confidence to define my appearance and do what I want no matter what others think. Today I practice self-awareness.

Find Light in Dark Times

Chapter 8:

Simplicity:

Rich in What You Have

(sample excerpts)



Picasso face sculpture

Sculpted face by Picasso, photo by author


Find Light in Dark Times gives you philosophical and spiritual tools to help you recover from losses of all kinds, then emerge into the light. These are sample sections from Chapter 8 on simplicity.



We live in a world that rewards people with stuff and money. We feel successful if we have more stuff and money than others we know. They envy us. If they derive their worth from material possessions, their hearts may feel a bit diminished by our success.

In 1985 when I traveled with my ex-wife to England, France and Spain, we went on bicycles. At that time, fat-tired bikes were new in the market. Because I had apprenticed myself to a builder of racing frames when I was in college, I appreciated quality frame tubing and craftsmanship. I had purchased a good bike with metallic blue paint, but I worried that someone might find it attractive and swipe it. I wanted to be able to camp with the bike without worrying about it disappearing. So I bought a small can of brown paint and half-painted the bike with smudges of brown over the blue. The bike was just as mechanically fine as before. But it looked awful, as if mud had hurtled onto the frame from every puddle in France. No one would want this abomination, this muddy mess of bike. It looked like a bike you’d find at a yard sale for $50.

I did not want others to admire my bike or to admire me for acquiring such a fancy machine. Instead I wanted them to ignore it and leave it alone.

Whenever you amass large amounts of wealth, of stuff, you make yourself a target for others who have less. They covet what you have. Fancy houses require fancy locks. Fancier houses demand alarm systems, perimeter gates, security guards, video cameras, motion detectors. They can rob you of peace of mind if you are attached to protecting your belongings.

When times are dark and riches hard to obtain, the disparity between those who have plenty and those who have little grows painfully sharp. Riches displayed or gloated over can create divisiveness and hard hearts.

It can still be spiritual to have nice things and enjoy them fully. Having valuables does not necessarily interfere with spiritual lightness. If you have worked hard to earn wealth, enjoy it. Spiritual people need not renounce worldly possessions if they detach themselves from the wealth. Detachment is a difficult trick but it can allow you to enjoy your material belongings in a much more meaningful way.


. . . (Living simply section)

Living simply is not a life of deprivation. Nor will living simply make you simple-minded. On the contrary, you will free yourself to apprehend nuances of complexity and sophistication that previously eluded you because your external life was so cluttered. Simplicity cultivates your capacity to pay attention. Simplicity allows your creative energy to bloom.

Living lightly on earth feeds the spirit. When you use up few resources and damage little to nothing, you become like a wild animal in tune with its environment, thriving as your natural habitat provides sufficient food and shelter. You gain freedom and light. You open yourself to spiritual security.

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