Almost nothing material is needed for a happy life for he who has understood existence.
–Marcus Aurelius
The ever changing landscape of existence, day to day living has long been a main point of focus. It was not that many generations ago that it was nearly the only point of focus. How one was going to obtain the basics of life. Food, water, shelter. Those were not easy times. This situation does still exist today albeit in much less numbers, but possibly not much less in percentages. There are basics when it comes to life. For humans, lions, sharks, birds, and insects. We all have those minimal items which are needed to maintain life.
Do we remember these times of basic existence? Then again why would anyone give any thought to them. Food is plentiful, water as close as a faucet, and shelters of every shape and size cover the landscapes.
We fail to recognize the basics and have grown accustomed to the add-ons. How many things are really necessary for happiness? We’ve been using them not because we needed them but because we had them.
What is it that we strive for when things are at their apparent worse? The time to consider this are when times are good. When times become hard it may be to late. In a time where chaos and anxiety run rampant across our screens what do we focus on? There are still wild places of tranquil valleys and calm still waters. When social pressures overwhelm us to live certain ways. There are still places of quiet solitude. When we spend a huge amount of time comparing ourselves to and wanting the approval of others. There are still places that make us feel humble. Nature has never and will never judge us. Is it not worth considering most of what we experience on a daily basis is nothing more than a distraction. Distracting our attention from that which really matters.
We now hear regularly about every conceivable way we can “make our life better”. We are bombarded with noise of how we can and should do this, say this, listen to this, buy this, act this way, if we want to make our lives better. A better life awaits us just on the other side of the fence. We simply need to obtain “x” in order to experience it. Where “x “is always based on something outside of us. When was the last time you heard or read an advertisement that simply stated; “If you want to experience happiness, be a better person”. Be Happy, article on sparringmind.com
The happiness of your life depends upon the quality of your thoughts
–Marcus Aurelius
