Simple Living in Eastern Tibet
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Every Weekend, I am doing some work in preparation for house-moving. I would recycle all the items that I do not need anymore. As I was looking through my stuffs, I realized that I used to derive a lot of satisfaction buying and owning a lot of items, which are now quite useless to me.
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For example: Books
I read my first book when I was 9 years-old. Yes, No kidding. My parents never bought any books for me to read and I struggled with my studies when I was in primary school. It was not their fault, as they were trying their best to make ends meet. When I was young, I disliked the experience of visiting a library as I would literally feel giddy and restless. That’s excluding those time I played 'hide and seek' in the school library. Haha...
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As for my studies, my strength has always been in Mathematics and Science (especially Physics), and I don’t really like languages (including Chinese) and Humanity subjects (especially English Literature). For the first twenty years of my life, I read a few books only.
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I only started reading when I was in the Army (19 year old), as I had too much free at night in the Army Camp. That was the time I understood why people enjoy reading. I started to buy books and derived a lot of satisfaction displaying them on my book-shelf. I was foolish to think that I am knowledgeable or educated just because I “conquered” those books.
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I have forgotten most of the content of the books. And it does not really matter. I realized that I only need to keep a FEW GOOD books, and I can do without the rest. I started to donate my books to the library or friends, as books are meant to be read, and not sitting on the shelf collecting dust.
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I felt happier to know that I have less books, and happy to know that I only kept those books that inspire and motivate me.
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This applies to other stuffs as well. Recycling my clothes, DVDs, Magazines, Gifts...
I do not need all the DVDs & CDs, I just need those that can inspire or motivate me. I do not need all the clothes, I just need those that I feel is nice and comfortable. I do not need to keep all the gifts and souvenirs, I just need those that have significant meanings in my life.
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I had wasted so much money & time buying so many useless things. However, it is part of growing up and learning. When I was young, I did not have a lot of things. And when I grew older and have a little spending power, I got satisfaction from owning things. Now, I am still happy to buy nice things, but I am aware that the joy is temporary and fleeting.
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Some people may never understand it.
I am sure one of my very good friends won’t.
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I derive happiness and pleasure in simplifying my life, knowing that I do not need so much physical possessions to be happy, knowing that my self-worth is beyond these superficial things and knowing that the things that TRULY matters in life are invisible to the eyes.
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I will continue to simplify and keep only the quality stuffs. =)
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Life is a cycle.
I came with nothing.
I owned something temporarily.
I will go with nothing.
That's the impermanence of life.
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One of my favourite Quotes:
"The essential things in life are seen not with the eyes, but with the heart."
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