So this is it. This is where it has all come to a point. Right here, sitting in my girlfriend’s sister’s kitchen, dog sitting over night as a favor. The time is around 1:30 a.m., the house is silent except for the occasional moaning of an old house and typing of my key board. I had been watching a documentary on Netflix earlier titled “Minimalism”. It was a very interesting documentary, as it followed the story and journey of two men, known simply as “The Minimalists”.
What a curious idea they proposed to the world: having less is really having more. They both share similar stories to the other; both coming up in this world with an impression in their mind that they needed lots of stuff to be happy and became desperate to obtain wealth as a result to the void they had created for themselves. They got degrees, which were supposed to financially pay off in the long run. They put in the effort to graduate school in order to land a big time job and make a big time name for themselves. They made it, they were there and yet both felt something was missing. Even with big time jobs, big time pay checks, luxury cars, luxury apartments, the nicest clothes and much more, they couldn’t shake the feeling that something was missing.
Why were they still not happy? They had made it, hadn’t they? Society had transformed into a world where the more you have, the happier people are believed to become. We are in a constant struggle of trying to be happy with where we are now, and where we want to be in the future. Nothing is good enough, we are constantly craving more; constantly on the hunt for something that is more satisfying than the last. We are filling a void in our life and seeking wholeness from the objects we surround ourselves with. We seek, but we don't really know what were looking for.
Before watching “Minimalism”, another short documentary titled, “Extremis” caught my curiosity. This documentary followed around two doctors in a hospital as they dealt with some of the hardest moments in patient care; when it comes down to pulling the plug on life support or not, what does one do?
The documentation of these very sick people stirs the question of whether a mercy rule should be allowed or not. How do people deal with the loss of a loved one? Do these families face reality together, pull the breathing tube to die in comfort? Is it easier to give up peacefully and go out on one’s own terms? What is really living if one is only holding onto purgatory through a machine which breaths for you?
If we are destined for the grave, then we are doomed to hospital beds, traumatic life ending events, sickness, disease, suffering… why shouldn't we prepare? The point I am pulling from both documentaries is that whatever we are looking for in life can't come from material things. These material things can bring us comfort for a second, but in the dying moments of our lives, what are we gonna look back on in reflection and say “yeah, I’m glad I did that”.
Our life must have purpose. We must have a direction and sense of being. In order to become whole we have to become an example, a living dream and walking purpose. Mindfully, we have to create our own story, but not just any story with no real meaning, there has to be a reason. Don't make a decision without knowing why you are making that decision. Don't do something or spend money on something if it isn’t giving real meaningful value to your life. We all have to find our sense of purpose in life, and live it out fully, unscripted and not acted. It has to be so authentic that you become anchored to your path and nothing can distract you or turn you back. We must create our own reality deep below the surface in order for it to be real.
In a verse from “The Tibetan Book of the Dead” titled “Root Verses of the Six Intermediate States”, the first intermediate state is as follows:
"Alas, now as the intermediate state of living arises before me, renouncing laziness, for which there is no time in this life, I must enter the undistracted path of study, reflection and meditation. Now, having obtained a precious human body, this one time, I do not have the luxury of remaining on a distracted path."
The reason for so much unhappiness pointed out by the minimalist documentary comes from our desire to distract ourselves with too much stuff. Society today is a trap, with all of its distractions and bullshit being sold every day. Social media pushes product, the image of perfection, beauty and wealth, which ultimately is believed to make us happy. We don't become happy from acquiring objects; we cultivate happiness through a habit of living life with a purpose. Doing things for others, opening our hearts up, clearing our minds and following our solid path of direction is the way to create meaningful happiness. Don't let this life go to waste with worry and unhappiness. Give up what you don't need; simplify and minimize the clutter in your life. Clear up time, money and space to have the life that you have always dreamed about having. You want the freedom to be free, but what are you willing to sacrifice in order to have it?
From the final verse of "Six Intermediate States", and the mouth of accomplished masters, come these words:
“‘o, (you), with your mind far away, thinking death will not come.
Entranced by the pointless activities of this life, if you were to return empty handed now, would not your (life’s) purpose have been (utterly) confused?
Recognize what it is that you truly need! It is a sacred teaching for liberation! Should you not begin to practice from this very moment?
‘If I choose not to take the oral teachings of the spiritual teacher to heart, am I not the deceiver of myself?’”
