Is simple living feasible?
2016-01-17
The
other day, I came across an interesting article in the life column of a newspaper.
The title isn’t eye-catching at all, but the fresh idea it conveys makes a
dramatic impression on my mind. The article begins with a story of a couple who
sold their house in the big city to start a bed and breakfast for visitors on a
mountain known for colorful sunset. The following part explores the benefits of
this simple way of life and the hidden reasons that people yearn for the simple
lifestyle. The notion itself gives modern-day people plenty food for thought.
In
the era of high efficiency and fast rhythm, a lot of people are rethinking
their machinelike life and figuring out what they really want and need. They
tend to abandon their fast-paced style and adopt a more casual attitude to
life. Simple living ranges from cutting down on weeknight activities to renting
apartments, living closer to work and commuting less, avoiding shopping malls
and entertainment venues, buying recycled furniture and shoes and taking a cut
in pay to work at a more pleasurable job. Briefly, simplicity is about
conscious living and creating the life we want. It means that we may live
within a limited budget and enjoy whatever a lifestyle our heart desires, for
example, by making a hobby your career, getting close to nature and spending
more time with kids around the clock. The less stuff we buy, the less money
goes out of the door and the less money we have to earn. Is it a feasible way
of life?
In my light, I would rather not choose this semi-reclusive lifestyle. As
long as one can balance perfectly between his job and amateur life, he will be
a happy person. I always take my job as my secondary hobby, if I am not very
much keen on it. After all, it provides me with a stable salary to keep my household
running. By interacting with my students, I gain a lot of pleasure and I can
always retain a curious nature as well as a young mind. After work, proper organization
counts. On weekends or holidays off, I actually possess plenty of time to
allocate to things like reading, gyms, shopping, a small trip or a candlelit
dinner with my kids. By alternating my job and social life, I can always enjoy
a full and colorful life without any boredom. How could an enthusiastic person
complain about things like fatigue or exhaustion? Life lies in movement; humans
should progress ceaselessly towards higher goals rather than stay where they
were. Next, it’s a bit absurd to separate oneself from the mainstream of the
society. If one hides himself in his house for a week and completely shut his
ears, he would make himself a fool when spoken to again. The world is
constantly changing. Your non-conformist ways may probably get you into
trouble. What’s more, even if you are willing to act to your liking, your kids
need a socially humanistic environment to grow and learn to adapt to the
fast-changing society. If isolated, how could he establish his realm in the
world? In some sense, simplicity means inactivity and passiveness. As adults,
we should set a good example for little ones. They should be taught to be
aggressive rather than recessive. If everybody follows his inclination, our
society would retain stagnant or even retreat into a primitive state. That’s
too terrible.
Finally, youth is a time for devotion and
exploration. As backbone forces of the society, we should keep our enterprising
spirit and improve our social adaptation in order to better transform our
planet and benefit our future generations. AS an old saying goes like this, it’s
never too old to learn. Now we can believe that it’s never too old to struggle.
Instead of suspending our body and soul, let’s make concerted efforts to keep
forging ahead until the last minute of our life.
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I think it is possible to choose a simple lifestyle without isolating ourselves. So often we buy things we don't need. We want the latest phone or the most expensive car and the most stylish clothes. At times those things are not even for our own benefit, they are to show off for others. I hope everyone has all that they need. But there are somethings that we buy but we never need.
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