My practice of minimalism has been evolving. I’m donating my leather wallet and leather belt to Goodwill. Part of the reason I’m doing this is because I’m vegan also. I’ll try to explain my reasoning. For the vegan aspect, I don’t like the inhumane way industrialized and factory farms “raise” the animals, it’s unnatural. I wouldn’t even call it “raising”, it’s more like abusing and assaulting. I have no problems against free range farming when its concerning the animals. In my eyes this is a natural and humane way to raise animals or hunting animals for food out of necessity and not of sport; I don’t see this as unnatural or inhumane. I’m sure there’s vegans out there that disagree with this view, that their view is that killing of any animals is unnatural and inhumane. Where am I going with this?? Back to why I’m uncomfortable possessing leather products or objects. My conviction is that leather is a luxury, just like eating meat and dairy is a luxury. Luxuries lead to greed and lust. I had this conviction even before when I went vegan 4 years ago. I used to own an Audi A4 car. A few months driving it and I just felt guilty and uncomfortable about it. There was nothing practical driving a luxury vehicle. Our egos and pride like luxuries because it’s proclaiming a social status in society. The more luxury we indulge in, the less satisfied we are and the more desensitized we become. Instead of being empathetic, I keep devolving into more and more apathy. No feeling, no conscious, I become dead inside yet am still alive. That isn’t being human, that’s becoming more and more inhumane. Why can human beings carry out such atrocious acts against humanity, the environment, animals and against life itself!! I’ll tell you why. No conscious. No empathy. No reverence. How can we get these things back. Stop indulging or participating in things that take them away. That’s why I’m donating my leather wallet and leather belt to Goodwill. My convictions about luxury are compelling me to do this. I even feel convicted about eating sophisticated meals and expensive dining. It doesn’t matter whether the menu is vegan or not, it’s the principle of not living luxuriously and living simple. What would happen to the United States and the rest of the world if everyone just started living more simply and not lusting after things we don’t need. Would the U.S. be in such great debt?? Would the U.S. be so overly obese?? Would we be suffering from heart attacks, cancer and diabetes?? Would there be less people overdosing on prescription and illegal drugs because more people would be satisfied with their lives. One of the results of living simply is feeling more satisfied. Luxury just creates an illusion that my lifestyle is more elevated than your lifestyle which means that I’m better than you and you’re not as good as me. That’s why there’s racism and prejudice. That’s why Americans can eat meat and dairy and live a luxurious lifestyle and not care about the harm and damage their lifestyle is causing for poor impoverished souls overseas that are starving and in famine and ravaged by disease because of the effects of animal agriculture and luxurious living. It’s why people don’t care that their lifestyle is polluting the earth and the oceans and causing deforestation because their little world is more “sacred” than all of Creation. Creation is supposed to be more sacred. People would truly respect themselves and those around them and the earth as sacred if they had a reverence for life and not be so concerned about their own!! All I ask is when you’re done reading this, examine your lifestyle. Maybe you could give up a few things or stop doing or buying certain things or stop and start thinking a certain way. It may take weeks, months and years but it gets better and easier the longer you live consciously. Humanity and life in the future will thank you.
How many people, how many nations, how many races have believed they were doing “good” yet were causing great harm to humanity?? This thought is a sobering reality check. Look at the Nazis. They thought they were doing humanity a favor by wiping out millions of Jews. The Catholic church killed millions of “heretics” during the Inquisition and thought they were doing good. How many “infidels” have been killed by Muslims merely because they were “infidels”?? How many communists in China and Russia truly believed in the cause of communism and overlook the fact of millions of lives dying because of the advancement of communism. The last example I’ll give is the United Sates believing they’re liberating countries by invading foreign countries and waging war with them and many innocent lives are killed in the process. How much “good” do I have to do to have the epiphany to realize I’m not doing good. The examples I gave have quite an impact on humanity and this world. Where did it all start?? I’m guilty just as every other human being is guilty of believing how we live are lives is “right.” Who defines what is right?? Men are prone of justifying doing wrong by doing right. It’s such a slippery slope. It can be so dogmatic and so deceiving. I can draw the line somewhere and the next decade the line has moved. Look at humanity throughout history. The line of legalism and ethics wavers. What’s the answer?? How can one find the answer if one doesn’t have a question at first?? This is what I believe. I have to believe in something that didn’t originate in the heart or mind of a human being. Man’s ideas and beliefs fade, it’s like the withering grass. There are principles and moralities that have never experienced the four seasons. They have always existed and always abide in eternity. These things are so simple. That’s the thing that’s so elusive. It can elude philosophers, theologians, scientists and mystics. We like to be amazed by outrageous theories and concepts. They can be so brilliant and also so deceiving by their complexity. That complexity is just a reflection of how complicated we human beings have become in our own minds and being. I’m not saying the universe isn’t complex or that nature or life isn’t complex. It is complex, but the origin and foundation of it all is simple in its being and structure. It’s amazing how complex everything is yet so simply uniform. The whole universe and nature works together in synchronicity and unity. There are laws that govern us and all things. These are the things I’m referring to that have always existed. Man can have a revelation of these laws but how often it is that we are deceived by changing those laws by just a little. Just by changing it a little changes everything. Just writing this has made me question and meditate on my own life. That’s the reason I’ve written this. If it’s made you do the same then I’ve accomplished something. Hopefully we can evolve into something that’s more primitive and simple.
A man can gain the entire world and be a miserable wretch. A man can also have very little to nothing and be serenely content. Why is this?? The lust and desire to acquire more never ends. Is there gratefulness in gaining more material possessions?? If I was grateful for what I already have there wouldn’t be a need in possessing something else. I would be content with what I have and wouldn’t have to seek out something that’s “better.” Gratitude is one simple way of removing lust and desire. Don’t be jealous of what your neighbor has. Don’t be jealous of his wife, his kids, house, car, boat. Whatever it is. Don’t be jealous. Be grateful for what you have. Life can be greener on your side of the fence when you take care of your own lawn. Stop comparing. If your own lawn isn’t green, whose fault is it?? I’m not going to chase after a material thing that takes an entire lifetime to achieve and be discontent and disappointed in the end when obtaining it. Some people will chase after that one thing and never get it. All that sacrifice and hard work to be let down towards the end. Who’s going to suffer and be a victim in the process?? Is it going to be your wife, husband, kids, best friend?? Whoever it is, don’t let them become collateral damage. People are valuable. You can’t put a price on life. Enjoy the journey. Make the most out of what you can while you can. We can miss out years of our life trying to possess things. Yes, I need a job to make a living. Yes, I need a car to drive and a home to live in. I choose to not live beyond the means of living simply. I’m happy with the car I drive. I don’t have to be driving a Porsche or exotic foreign sport car. I’m blessed to have a roof over my head and having running water electricity. Sometimes we really need to just stop everything that we’re doing and think about how blessed we really are. There’s people in third world countries who are starving, homeless and have no hope of removing themselves from that terrible situation. I’m not sure what’s more sad, a third world citizen that’s more happy and content with what he has or a first world citizen who commits suicide because of feeling so hopeless regardless of all the things he possesses. You can’t buy contentment. You can’t buy peace. It’s something you cultivate yourself. You’re not going to find it in things and material possessions. Immanuel Kant said, “We are not rich by what we possess but by what we can without.” I can have “nothing” and be the richest man in the world.
How many of us like to be instantly gratified?? America is a culture that wants things here and now and the next day its already something else. Fast food is synonymous with the American way. Fast fashion, coffee, credit cards, music, movies, I could go on and on. We get what we want today and by the time its tomorrow we already want something else. It’s this pursuit of things that have no lasting contentment. We can’t live by our impulses. Gratifying our impulses ends in the result of being discontent. The more and more we feed that impulse and desire the more emptiness follows. The “convenience” of not having to wait evolves into a life of being inconvenienced. Maybe we need to learn to be more inconvenienced. Patience is something cultivated. You will have many opportunities to exercise it. Try experimenting with not being instantly gratified. It’s a practice. We all have to start somewhere. It could be not drinking that coffee in the morning. It could be not going to the movie theatre and waiting for that illustrious film to be released on Netflix. The more we practice this, slowly we feel a little more content; the things I used to think I could never go without become things I don’t really need. Do I really need all those magazine subscriptions?? Do I always have to be on top of the world news and politics?? If it’s not the latest then it doesn’t hold any “true” value. Being instantly gratified doesn’t last that long. It’s like a drug, you build an immunity the more frequently using it. Being high doesn’t feel like that first high until you have to graduate into something more strong and lethal, into something more damaging. Have you ever worked hard for something?? It could’ve taken you months, years. Some things take an entire lifetime to achieve. It could be a relationship, job, paying off a car loan or home mortgage. Whatever it is, didn’t it feel great fulfilling that accomplishment?? It could’ve been painful, there were many ups and downs, it was a continuous struggle; but in the end there was this strange sense of being fulfilled. It wasn’t this shallow, fickle sensation but rather it was deep and unwavering. We can feel unburdened, light, euphoric. I can’t experience this being instantly gratified. It just isn’t on the same level. Continually being instantly gratified results in a heaviness, emptiness and sense of being unfulfilled. I think real joy and happiness comes from the ability to deny oneself. Practicing self-control can be an uncomfortable process but the more you do it the easier it gets. It begins to feel less uncomfortable and more normal. I can gain more control over myself. More control over my life, thoughts, actions and decisions. This isn’t the easy way which is why many don’t like to take this route. We can become desensitized living a life that’s “comfortable.” That feeling of comfort morphs into a feeling of feeling numb. This tells me experiencing discomfort will enhance my senses. It’s like exercising. I train my muscles and slowly get stronger, faster and can endure more. It’s also not something I practice in one season. It’s a lifestyle. It’s worth pursuing an entire lifetime. We’re all at different levels. Start small and you’ll gradually be able to take on bigger challenges.
Life is a canvas. You’ve probably heard the expression. A good painter takes his time and pays attention to all the little details. It could be as simple from how hard or soft the paintbrush is brushing against the canvas, the different shades of color of the paint being used, what kind of material the canvas is made of, etc. All those little details are what make the painting. Masterpieces take a lifetime to create. It’s through that whole process of experimenting, failing, succeeding, experiencing heartache and passion. It’s through all that the artist begins to understand himself and understand his own unique way of using art as a medium for expression. That’s what our lives are. They’re an expression. Our lives are pieces of art whether we realize it or not. It may not be beautiful, it can be dark, chaotic, lovely, serene, wonderful, there aren’t enough words in the human language to express all that life is. Life is something so deep and profound it can’t be summed up by means of communicating it through words. The thing I appreciate about art is because its a mere glimpse into the unseen, whether it be tangible or intangible. Music is intangible. Painting is tangible, yet we can experience something that goes well beyond what is naturally seen. An artist can transmit what is in his own heart and share it with others in which they experience in their own hearts. Its the little details that move us. Its those little nuances of sound, picture and words. Its the same with life. Life doesn’t have to be this extravagant melodrama for it to truly move us. It can be so simple as walking through park on a Sunday afternoon and feel the rays of the sun beaming on our face or feel the a slight hush of the wind breathing against our exposed skin. We do not sense or experience those little details when we are such in a rush or hurried. That’s just in our own experience. How about being able to connect with other people on a deeper level just by merely paying attention to little things. It could be the look in someone’s eyes, the expression on their face, the certain tone they’re pronouncing their voice. Do I always pay attention to the little details?? No, but I’m making the effort each day. When I do life becomes to take on a greater depth. I can experience life in a much greater scale. I don’t have to be working on Wall Street, have my own television show or be a featuring actor in a Blockbuster movie. It’s the little things that make up the bigger things in life. Look at the great wall of China. It’s one of the seven greatest wonders in the world. How many bricks actually make up that great wall?? All the little attention and details that went into building that wall is what makes it so magnificent. The whole universe is made up of atoms. Those atoms are made up of even smaller things. Don’t get so caught up in the grand scheme of things. Pay attention more to the little details. It’s in the little things that make life worth living.
Your reading this. You chose to read this. Making that choice wasn’t that complicated. Part of my life pursuit is living simply. When you live simply, you don’t have to make that many decisions. And vice versa, when life gets more complicated, you have to make many more decisions. I only drink water as a beverage. No coffee, no juice, no tea, no alcohol. just water. How did I do that?? Simple. I just chose to do it. I eat a vegan diet. How is that even possible?? It all came down to making a single choice. There’s other things I could list but I think you get the point. Our lives get complicated when we’re not intentional about living simply. Do you experience alot of moments of being undecided?? There’s something powerful about being intentional. Our intentions are our goal and focus. There has to be a target to aim for. Imagine shooting a crossbow without having any specific target in mind. The focus of a shooter that has no intended target is much different than a shooter who’s aiming for a bull’s eye mark. One definition for concentration is: treated to remove or reduce an inessential ingredient. There’s no second guessing. There’s no wavering. This is the mindset of living simply. It’s the removal of inessentials. It’s not just the removal of tangible things, but of intangible things. It is the removal of thinking a certain way or thinking certain thoughts. It is the intentional removal of certain decisions. When I decide I’m not going to even entertain the thought of making certain choices; I’m removing that choice from my mind. I’ve made the choice to do that. We all can do this. You don’t have to be an ultramarathoner or qualify for the next summer Olympics. We all can start somewhere, but the worst thing to do is never deciding and just drifting through out life. It all starts from making a small choice. I could be undecided about lunch. That small seed of being undecided can grow into a tree of indecision. I could live my whole life of not truly knowing of how I want to live my life. Do I know myself well enough?? Do I know all the different kinds of food I like or don’t like. Do I know that I like abstract impressionism art or bebop piano jazz music or eating exotic fruits or that I hate pizza and any kind of fast food. Do I know what kind of work I want to do as a profession?? Am I too distracted and undecided to even answer the question?? There’s some questions that don’t have any answers, but there’s some questions that must be answered and knowing who you are is definitely one of those that has to be answered. Living simply is a choice. We humans have a tendency to complicate things. We like to not take responsibility for things because its the easy way. The easy way is the highway to mediocrity. Are you happy with your life?? Look at the choices you’ve made. Even when you make good choices, life will never be perfect. You may not have done anything wrong, yet life will throw you a curveball straight between the eyes. These moments are a good reality check. These uncomfortable pauses force us to stop and contemplate of what really matters. If nothing bad ever happened, how would you be able to define what good is?? If you’ve never experienced things that have no substance, how would you know what does have substance?? We’re human beings. We’ll never be perfect, but that shouldn’t ever stop us from ever making a choice. The reason our world is the way it is is because of people’s decisions. If there’s ever going to be a change in your own life, it comes down to the decisions you make. Life is too short to live an inessential life. Make a choice.
Materialism wants more. When it gets what it wants then it wants something else and so on. There are those that have little to no possessions and yet do not want more. Why is this?? And there are those that have acquired much and will continue to want more. Its strange how inanimate objects have control over animate beings. Something that does not have a soul, lives or breathes has control over the being that has a soul, lives or breathes. Something that is dead and will never live has control over the living. Those that continue to want, there is something alive in their being that draws them to want and to accumulate. And those that do not want, there is something that is dead in their being which makes them to not want and acquire things. With all that said, not wanting is a discipline. Discipline is the art of denial. It is the art of exercising death in one’s mind and being. When you take something away, you learn to appreciate the value of it. Try holding your breathe for 60 seconds. Do you and your lungs and body not appreciate that breathe of air after 60 seconds?? Discipline will teach you the value of things. It will teach you what is important and what really matters and vice versa. That is why those that are disciplined can also be grateful. They can be grateful for just simple needs. Simplicity does not waver or change, it remains what it has always been. Ever notice that wanting becomes more and more complicated, it wants to order fancy beverages at the bar or cafe and order sophisticated entrees at the steakhouse and continue to increase the standard of living. It wants to buy more expensive designer clothes and own foreign sports cars. Wanting relishes in having the senses overstimulated. When you overstimulate your senses, they become dull and grow more dull. Those that overindulge, their awareness becomes dull. They do not enjoy the things they once enjoyed, it doesn’t bring them pleasure and they are now miserable. Those that have a keen awareness have gone without something to develop that awareness they now possess. Ever have the experience of losing one of your senses?? Have you last the ability to speak or see or not being able to feel a certain part of your body. From losing one sense, the other senses are enhanced. And if you were fortunate enough to have that one sense returned to you, did it not make you more appreciative of that one sense and of your life experience. To be content and grateful, you must practice self discipline and self denial. To experience a life that is more meaningful, richer and fuller; you must die out to certain things. By practicing this each day, new life will be resurrected out of the death you have made out of your daily practice. In death, there is new life, new meaning, and new purpose. Look at nature, does it not tell you death is a normal part of life. The shell of a seed must die and be broken before it can grow into a plant and bear fruit. This is what nature intended. It was designed that way. Am I still a seed?? Am I just a plant?? Or have I become a tree or an orchard?? There are many people who are fighting against what they were designed to do; rather they embrace what they’re not designed to do. Are they not aware who they are as humans?? Are they not aware who they are as individuals. They wander and toil through out the day without meaning and purpose because they haven’t developed an awareness to even know they are toiling without meaning and purpose. That is the great deception. Believing in things that have no value and seeing those things as being valuable. Having eyes to see and yet being blinded while seeing. Having an awareness and yet being numb to experience while experiencing.
zerothinking 