Minimalism- the way ahead!

Minimalism- the way ahead!

In a Sunday article, New York Times reporter Nick Bilton said he once asked Jobs, “So your kids must love the iPad?” Jobs responded, “They haven’t used it. We limit how much technology our kids use at home.”

“Back to basics”- an article in the Times truly impressed and inspired me. When business honchos are in a rat race to acquire property, costly possessions, be it smart phones, gadgets, luxury, we see other strata of society disowning this material wealth in order to ‘declutter’ them, avoid fuss and lead a simple life. Other celebrities in the league are Oprah Winfrey who auctioned her favourite possessions, the Twilight Saga star Robert Pattinson who doesn't own a house and our very own Siddharth Malhotra who cycles to work! Veteran Marathi actor Vijay Chavan is able to do all his work and adhere to commitments without a cell phone!

Well, as it is rightly said, “Nature gives enough to satisfy everyone’s needs and not everyone’s greed”, it’s time to draw the line. A social activist set example by collecting clothes, unwanted materials from those who had excess and distributed them to the poor and needy in a noble effort to ‘bridge the gap’. Filling your houses and lives with stuff also clusters your mind. It is a well known fact that the poor sleeps calmly, while the rich depend on sleeping pills worrying about the same assets he thought were ‘comfort’ and ‘luxury’. What an irony! Again the question of the century pops up- “Materialistic things are made for us or vice versa?”

One will agree life was much peaceful before the invention of electronic gadgets. At least we were not hooked to screens! We have also become more dependent- the calculations we did at the back of mind, today need electronic assistance, we don’t remember contact numbers because we have out sourced the memory job to our smart phones. We have gradually knowingly or unknowingly, drifted from the analytical and logical potential that is naturally gifted to us. If this continues and we tend to exploit more of the technological resources, I am afraid the little 10% of the brain that we use today too will soon be diminishing. Let not the creators of smart phones become ‘dumber’ and the latter ‘smarter’. Hence, wise parents have now resorted to schools without computers, where manual work is encouraged after knowing the consequences of excessive use of technology and mind you, these are from the Silicon Valley!

We can start with small steps to minimize the assistance of gadgets/ accessories. Allow yourself some break, stop by to ‘wait and watch’, feel the earth below, the swirling of trees, breeze, look above for the sky, may be count the stars and world will appear larger with new horizons and much peaceful! This also helps to connect with the inner self, which most of the time in the hustle of hectic routine is forgotten. Of course, we cannot break completely; we do need modern amenities, but let them be a ‘tool’ and not a ‘ruler’. Neither will one desire to go back to mundane, ‘black and white world’, but it’s important to restore the lost connect with nature and ultimately with self.

In our society, ‘status’ or ‘well being’ to put it subtly, is often judged by one’s possessions. In youngsters it’s almost ‘peer pressure’ to have the latest smart phone, outfits, branded accessories etc. When in reality they don’t help provide much satisfaction. The value of the thing after purchase is lost. It fascinates and the craving lasts only till it falls in your hands and gradually it doesn't seem to be ‘so exciting’ any more.

“Simple living and high thinking” is a mantra we have known from all time, and to cut the chaos and complexity in life, we should think of implementing it. The great Indian epic and philosophical guide Bhagavad Gita says to find eternal happiness and peace, one needs to look inside and not search for it outside.

Quotes Courtney Carver, author of Be More with Less, “The purpose of minimalism is to remove the things in your life that don’t serve you, so that you can make room for the things that do. When you eliminate the excess, you’ll gain more clarity about what you really need for a healthy, happy life.”

Sources used: Times Life