Since I moved to my house over a year ago, I had a primitive life.
I have no phone (ground line), no cable TV, and no internet connection at home.
And I was just fine with it.
The purpose of doing that was to practice a simple life (and renunciation).
As a yogi who practices a mediation and studies gita (holy scripture of Hinduism), renunciation and non-attachment is something we try to attain. And it is not easy! We are surrounded by material things all the times..
So I told myself, if I am not surrounded by some of those things, maybe I can attain non-attachment. Of course I was afraid that it might be challenging, but it wasn't so bad not having tv or internet.
Recently I decided to allow myself to have cable tv and internet back to my home. I found that it was very convenient to be able to browse internet whenever I needed to get some info. It is also great so I can do blogging now :) And regarding tv, it is nice to have many options.
But after first couple of weeks, I was so overwhelmed by it. There are over 80 channels available on tv; there are tons of info I can connect through internet 24/7. For many occasions, I found myself just flipping channels over and over, not able to make up my mind what to watch, or I found myself spending hours browsing internet.
"Where is my peace of mind? Life was much simpler without those! Should I get rid of them now?"
The answer is not as simple as I want it to be. It's a dilemma. I see both positive and negative side.
The other day, I read my friend's blog, talking about how things in a society were changed over the time, but there are always some problems, not the same but different ones. Our lives are certainly improved over the years (computers, electronics etc), on the other hand, there are other issues now. My case is a similar one here. My life was improved by tv&internet, then now I got issues that I did not have before (or I will have issues in a future. I am afraid that I will spend less time with my friends, spend less time reading actual books, because I might become too busy spending time in front of tv or computer..)
I decided to keep them for now :)
see if I can use these addtions to enhance my life, not degrade it..
2 コメント:
I like what you decided. This entry reminds me of the saying I heard before. Peace is not about being in a peaceful environment, but it is about having peace in your heart wherever you are :)
I sometimes recall the time I spent at your apartment a few years back and try to achieve bit more simple life over here as well. I know it's far from what you are trying to achieve over there (true non-attachment) but it still feels better to have things simple. You've been such an inspiration to me.
Yogini, I really think you'll enjoy reading about Taoism and about Yin and Yang. It talks about how there are positive and negative aspects in all things. When you can't find both positive and negative, it's said it/he/she is fake or unhealthy. It was intriguing notion to me cause till I read that passage, I always thought "having as much positive and having as little negative" in things/people is the best way to go. Unlike my previous belief, having positives and negatives equally (being balanced) is the natural way to go, according to Taoism and Yin and Yang. Maybe there's a hint in this concept for you in solving this dilemma?? Good luck in attaining renunciation and non-attachment!
Your intention to want to have a simple life counts! You don't have to compare it with mine. I am in a same pot as you. Struggling to get better every day!
I am very much interested in reading about Taoism and Yin and yang. I thought more positive and less negative is the way to go. But that's not always a case? hmmm, interesting. Thanks for your recommendation. I sure will find some books about it. Let me know if there is any specific "good" books about those.
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