As we traversed rural India at the speed of a couple of miles per hour, it became clear how much we could learn simply by bearing witness to the villagers’ way of life. Their entire mental model is different—the multiplication of wants is replaced by the basic fulfillment of human needs. When you are no longer preoccupied with asking for more and more stuff, then you just take what is given and give what is taken. Life is simple again. A farmer explained it to us this way: “You cannot make the clouds rain more, you cannot make the sun shine less. They are just nature’s gifts—take it or leave it.”
When the things around you are seen as gifts, they are no longer a means to an end; they are the means and the end. And thus, a cow-herder will tend to his animals with the compassion of a father, a village woman will wait three hours for a delayed bus without a trace of anger, a child will spend countless hours fascinated by stars in the galaxy, and finding his place in the vast cosmos.
So with today’s modernized tools at your ready disposal, don’t let yourself zoom obliviously from point A to point B on the highways of life; try walking the back roads of the world, where you will witness a profoundly inextricable connection with all living things.
–Nipun Mehta, PATHS ARE MADE FOR WALKING: Four steps to take on the road of life, Parabola, Fall 2012.
Thank you crashinglybeautiful from parabola-magazine.
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A beautiful and wonderful reminder / lesson… And why I find myself constantly escaping to Nature.
Thanks. And why for me, a-not-so-subtle reminder of needing to do so.
I find this a tough place to get to in my mind. Try, try again…..
Thanks for a great post.
Thanks. And, that is the reason for why this post resonated with me. (He who needs it most)
It wasn’t until my retirement that I learned that “retirement is where you stop making a living and you start making a life.” I also found contentment in whatever situation I found myself in a valuable key to life. I think that is why I am drawn to the countryside because of its’ slower pace. You don’t have to wait for retirement to experience this, just take out the time to enjoy the simple things of life and nature. I am glad you posted this reminder.
BE ENCOURAGED! BE BLESSED!
Thanks for sharing Francine. You are right…one does not have to wait until retirement to enjoy this. Important message….thanks.
This is the true definition of being in the moment…Not needing or wanting more than what the present requires. Really beautiful piece.
Yes, it is a beautiful piece. Trying to reach this…is the challenge.
You’re telling me!
THAT is beautiful!!
Good simple wisdom.
Lovely piece. Why is it that the simplest things are invariably also the hardest?! Renewing my commitment to bein’ in the moment and appreciating the simple, pure pleasures…. Thx for the gentle nudge, David….
Yes, I’m with you Lori. I needed this message.
Maslow places self-actualisation at the top of the pyramid of human needs. Some people think you need to go on expensive courses to achieve this, as if you need to climb a mountain to get there, but I suspect that self-actualisation is found by appreciating the simple things in life that lie at the lower levels of the pyramid.
I loved this post. Thank you.
Thanks for sharing Sarah. I haven’t consistently found this path yet, but I’m in the hunt.
[…] As we traversed rural India at the speed of a couple of miles per hour, it became clear how much we could learn simply by bearing witness to the villagers’ way of life. […]
Read your post from the porch of the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island. Watching the sun rise overt the Straits of Mackinaw. Thanks for the reminder that I can bring a small piece of heaven home with me.
Hi Susan. My Susan and I honeymooned at the Grand Hotel 29 years ago. You bring back so many memories. Enjoy your time in a small piece of heaven.
Glad that you and Susan enjoyed this special charm. It’s still a place where a “taxi” comes in a horse drawn carriage, people dress for dinner, and with all the entertainment available at fingertips, crowds show up to watch the sun rise over Lake Huron and set over Lake Michigan.
The rooms are nicer than I recalled from our last visit and now have wireless and TV. I guess even Mackinaw sees progress.
Smiling. I had forgotten that there were no TVs. And the phones had a rotary dial. Rooms were certainly small. Glad to see some progress has come to Mackinaw. Thanks Susan.