A cluttered life?

[Guest guest]

The apparently insatiable urge to possess things is a form of violence too? . Mountains of things: A cluttered life? My 16-year-old friend's eyes gleamed with joy. She had just bought anew pair of shoes. Her older sister wanted to try them on. "Don'ttouch them, theyare mine," screamed the little sister. The mother stood by helplessly,consoling the older girl by saying, "Don't be upset, you can have onetoo." Betweenthe two girls, they had almost 30 pairs of shoes and although they hadthe same shoe size, they never shared them. Such himsa behaviour ? andwe as adultsencourage it. We live in an age of gross accumulation. Shoes, handbags, cell phones,clothes, cars ? it is not enough to have the latest model, we musthave varietiesof them ? and all for ourselves alone. One of the subtle forms ofviolence today is the tyranny of accumulation. Modern culture, basedon productivity,greater profits, and pounding advertisements, keeps giving us falseneeds. To live well, we must have more and more. And while we havemore, we must makesure that those around us don't have more than we do. Living this waymakes life very complicated and makes us himsa people as we spend timeand energyguarding the things we accumulate with such violence. Apart from themany things we insist on owning, the himsa way of life also makes usrelate to peopleas possessions. Just as we cling to our clothes, perfumes andhandbags, we also become possessive about our relationships. Oncesomeone has offered usfriendship, affection, love or care in some way, we want more and moreof the same thing. So we cling to the person who gave it to us,forgetting thatthey too are human with deep similar needs. When they share theirgoodness with others, or are unable to give us more of what we need,we become himsapeople ? attacking, accusing, abusing and discarding them. The ahimsa way of life embraces simple living ? whether that is anon-accumulative life; a non-possessive relationship life; or a lifewhich desires tolive in justice and harmony with everything around us. Defining simplicity Today we struggle to define simplicity. To one person, it is livingfrugally, rarely buying new items, making things last as long aspossible, re-usingplastic bags and bottles etc. To another, it is living in a beautifulhouse with a few expensive, classy designs; and yet to another, it iswearing khadiand eating vegetarian food and travelling by public transport. Each of us has to make our own commitment to living the ahimsa way(living simply) ? whether it means asking ourselves do we really needanother sari orpair of shoes, or giving away what we don't use or need, or sharingwhat we have with others, or relating to someone with compassion andlove. Simple living is not just about living without material things. It isalso about living compassionately, and with love and being sensitiveto the millionsaround us who don't have half the things we do. When I was very young, my idea of a simple person was a lady alwaysdressed in white, who wore no jewellery or flowers in her hair. Butover the years,as I got to know her better, I realised that there was nothing simpleabout her at all. She was quarrelsome; had difficulty in sustainingrelationshipsand was a gossip. Many years later, I met 20-year-old Ambrose, at an orphanage in Kenya. He was "dad" to the 30 orphans there. As I followed him around, Inoticed the manyways in which he took care of the children there. He would wipe thenoses of the little ones. Kick a ball back to one who was standing ina corner; tella joke and make everyone laugh. All of this was done with a hugesmile, a big hug and such love in his face and body language. One daythe children weresinging on stage. One little girl had a beautiful, new hairband, butshe had worn it the wrong way. Ambrose was sitting beside me when henoticed it. "Ohdear, she will be so upset when she see the photos," he said. So heunobtrusively went back stage, mingled with the group singing anddancing with themand quietly adjusted the girl's hair band so that she looked likeeveryone else. I remember thinking, "What a lovely simple man." Ambrose's own possessions were very few. But just like otheryoungsters he liked branded clothes and shoes. "What would you likethe next time I come fromIndia?" I asked him. "Calvin Klein underwear," he said very seriously. Living simply Ilearnt, is an attitude. An attitude that embraces the good things oflife, without makingus dependent, addicted or possessive about them. As we pursue the simple way of life, according to our own paths, werealise that experiencing the inward reality of simplicity , taught byall our scriptures,liberates us outwardly too. Speech becomes truthful and honest. Thelust for status and position slowly disappears because we no longerneed them. We ceasefrom showy extravagance not on the grounds of being unable to affordit, but on the grounds of principle. Our possessions become moreavailable to others. Our world is not getting simpler, but more complex everyday, which iswhy we desperately need the discipline of simplicity today. A simplelifestyle whereothers' needs are as important as ours' demands that we think aboutthose who have no food, education, health care, while we have plenty.This may be hardfor many people, because thinking and living this way means giving upa selfish, greedy lifestyle which we have become used to. To change tothe idea ofsimple living after a life time of selfish living is very hard to do,yet we must pursue it with all our hearts. Changing ourselves To truly live the ahimsa way, each one of us needs to make lifestylechanges. We need to think about where and in which area of our liveswe would beginand make positive changes. We can ask our children to give away a pairof shoes or their clothes when they buy new ones. Or we could buy asack of riceor dal for our maid or driver when we buy one for our family; or emptyour minds of anger , frustration envy and greed when we are atbursting point withthem. Living simply also means living contentedly. When the commercial worldtells us to want more and more, contentment is not about getting moreand more, itis about being happy with what we have. Being content with what wehave, gives us the power to say , "Enough."

Regards,K.s.Vishwanathan.Tel No: 022-28738192.e-mail:kalpathyvs.