Not long ago I watched Bowling For Columbine again, and then shortly after I watched SICKo (both documentaries by Michal Moore). I read a few comments from the trailers of the SICKo movie and one of them really struck me (grammar not corrected): "I don't believe in democrats, liberals or whatever because it seem the priority of most of the countries around the world is money (stock markets, military, police states). I feel there should be new parties with human interests as a priority such as: health, food, compassion, shelter, happiness, love, co-operation.”
As I said, this really struck a chord. We've all heard the prophecy before - that money won't make you happy - but we all spend most of our lives, time, energy and focus on obtaining it. Individuals and governments alike.
Whilst I was away on my honeymoon I began to experience a kind of inner peace, happiness and understanding that I have never had before. I got it by reading and finding comfort in the words of wise men: Seneca, Marcus Aurelius. I now know I have a decision - and the subsequent actions - to make. I can continue to pursue money as a means to getting me to a place where I am happy. Or I can go the other way and pursue happiness and contentment in simplicity, friends... nothing but my own time and thoughts.
I have a voice deep down inside me somewhere telling me that if I take the former, I'll keep chasing the next pay rise, thinking it will be enough, but that chase will lead me to my deathbed having missed all the good bits in life. The blinkers for money I wear will prevent me from feeling happy, alive, at one with myself.
You're at the crossroads. Pursue the career, the extra time at work and travelling to different countries and talking about stuff that doesn't interest you one iota. Or take the other path. The path less travelled. The path in which you work less, where you have more time to spend with your family, with your friends, with your community - with yourself and your thoughts.
Travelling light
I'm not sure whether I developed the habit of packing for ‘what if scenarios‘ or if I've always had it, but up until recently I've definitely been guilty of overpacking. I'll take along a whole load of stuff for a series of imagined events and situations that, in reality, are never likely to occur: A spare pair of jeans and a couple of extra t-shirts just in case one of them gets dirty or trashed; a spare pair of shoes so I have a choice of what to wear; wet weather gear just in case it's wet, warm weather gear just in case it's hot. All of it adds up. I think a lot of people subscribe to a similar way of thinking when it comes to packing for holidays or travel. This just-in-case mentality results a bulging, heavy luggage; and I hate carrying a heavy luggage.
This last weekend I travelled to London to catch up with a few friends, working from a café on the Friday. Normally when I'm in London I'll stay with different people each night, which means lugging my day pack around with me each day on tubes, trains and buses. It sucks when my day pack is rammed. So this time I decided to keep things to the bare minimum. No what-if-items. Nothing just in case. I only packed what I knew I would use, and nothing more. The list included (not including what I was wearing, which was 3/4 jeans, a t-shirt, cardigan, undies, socks, shoes, sunnies, wallet and phone):
That list would normally be twice as long (and in hindsight I could have gone even lighter with a bit of research and planning, ditching the wet weather jacket and phone charger).
Travelling light means you have less decisions to make, because if you don't have something when you get to your destination, then there is no decision to make (and it seems to me people have a hard enough time making decisions anyway). If you really need something you can always borrow or buy when you get there. Travelling light gives you a feeling of being more free. You're responsible for less, you have less to lose, and subconsciously you have less on your mind. You have less to carry, and your arms, shoulders and back don't ache after long periods of travel.
How often do you hear people say ‘I hate packing!’ People hate packing because it becomes an ordeal when there's too much to fit in and not enough room to fit it; too many decisions to make as a result of superflous just-in-case scenarios. It becomes an organisational nightmare and just about requires a project manager to figure out what goes where and in which order. The solution is to take less. If in doubt leave it, and save yourself a bit of time whilst packing, and a decision when you get to your destination. What's the worst that could happen? - chances are it probably won't happen; and it won't be that bad if it does. Less is definitely more.
This last weekend I travelled to London to catch up with a few friends, working from a café on the Friday. Normally when I'm in London I'll stay with different people each night, which means lugging my day pack around with me each day on tubes, trains and buses. It sucks when my day pack is rammed. So this time I decided to keep things to the bare minimum. No what-if-items. Nothing just in case. I only packed what I knew I would use, and nothing more. The list included (not including what I was wearing, which was 3/4 jeans, a t-shirt, cardigan, undies, socks, shoes, sunnies, wallet and phone):
- 1 t-shirt
- 1 shirt
- 1 wet weather jacket
- 2 pairs undies
- 2 pairs socks
- Thongs (for feet)
- Deodorant
- Toothbrush
- Laptop and power cord
- Keys
- Phone charger
- A book
That list would normally be twice as long (and in hindsight I could have gone even lighter with a bit of research and planning, ditching the wet weather jacket and phone charger).
Travelling light means you have less decisions to make, because if you don't have something when you get to your destination, then there is no decision to make (and it seems to me people have a hard enough time making decisions anyway). If you really need something you can always borrow or buy when you get there. Travelling light gives you a feeling of being more free. You're responsible for less, you have less to lose, and subconsciously you have less on your mind. You have less to carry, and your arms, shoulders and back don't ache after long periods of travel.
How often do you hear people say ‘I hate packing!’ People hate packing because it becomes an ordeal when there's too much to fit in and not enough room to fit it; too many decisions to make as a result of superflous just-in-case scenarios. It becomes an organisational nightmare and just about requires a project manager to figure out what goes where and in which order. The solution is to take less. If in doubt leave it, and save yourself a bit of time whilst packing, and a decision when you get to your destination. What's the worst that could happen? - chances are it probably won't happen; and it won't be that bad if it does. Less is definitely more.
Best bits of Walden; Or, Life in the Woods
I've just finished reading Walden; Or, Life in the Woods; it only took me two months! I did find it a difficult read in places, as any book written in the 1850s might be. The language is a lot different to that which we are used to speaking in the 21st century. But hidden in the long paragraphs and verbose descriptions of his surroundings are almost too many brilliant nuggets of wisdom to keep track of. Early on I had to grab a highlighter and a pen and make notes of all the passages and quotes that struck me like lightning bolts with their wisdom. At times it felt like I had the highlighter to the paper for pages on end without lifting it off. It made for slow going, and will make a tough read for the next person to read this particular copy.
The book is written by David Henry Thoreau who was born and wrote the book in Concord Massachusetts. On the advice of a friend the help him concentrate more on his writing, Thoreau moved to the woods, built himself a small hut on the shores of Walden Pond, and began an experiment in simple living. For two years he lived in the woods and earned enough to sustain himself by growing beans and fishing, spending his days thinking, reading, being, walking, exploring... simply ‘being’. Strap yourself in, as the rest of this post is made up of the many, many — there are lots of them — fantastic quotes and passages which I made not of while I read (categorised somewhat): self-improvement, living in the present, wealth, learning, truth, honesty and virtue, travel and freedom, waking up early, simplicity, news and gossip, property and ‘things’, food and drink, making a living, and other words of wisdom.
The book is written by David Henry Thoreau who was born and wrote the book in Concord Massachusetts. On the advice of a friend the help him concentrate more on his writing, Thoreau moved to the woods, built himself a small hut on the shores of Walden Pond, and began an experiment in simple living. For two years he lived in the woods and earned enough to sustain himself by growing beans and fishing, spending his days thinking, reading, being, walking, exploring... simply ‘being’. Strap yourself in, as the rest of this post is made up of the many, many — there are lots of them — fantastic quotes and passages which I made not of while I read (categorised somewhat): self-improvement, living in the present, wealth, learning, truth, honesty and virtue, travel and freedom, waking up early, simplicity, news and gossip, property and ‘things’, food and drink, making a living, and other words of wisdom.