There is a saying in Tibetan that “at the door of the miserable rich man sleeps the contented beggar.” The point of this saying is not that poverty is a virtue, but that happiness does not come from wealth, but from setting limits to one’s desires, and living within those limits with satisfaction. – His Holiness The Dalai Lama
I like the wisdom of this message as it can apply to varied desires, including how much we take from the Earth. Early this week I watched “I AM” by Tom Shydyac, the millionaire producer who lives in mobile home in Oprah’s cable channel, OWN. It was discussed how nature takes only what it needs to sustain itself so nature stays balanced; it’s mankind that has learned to take more than it needs and therefore creates an imbalance that affects the collective.
When my significant other and I feed the squirrels at the park, we notice how they take the peanuts we give them, enjoy them, and when full, bury the remaining peanuts for the winter. Humans generally would eat/take more than their share because we have been conditioned to think that more is better.
“Who could be so lucky? Who comes to a lake for water and sees the reflection of moon.” Rumi
Everyday, I am reminded that a simple life can be fulfilling and the richer we seem to be. And this is the way my mate and I live our lives, without too many needs and the stress of paying and maintaining possesions. We thrive with the beauty of nature, enjoy the simple pleasures of life and experience many moments of happiness.
We don’t push prosperity away as we own a business, but we don’t feel conflicted about a lack of anything – that is unless we suddenly desire a mansion with a landing strip on the roof for our small plane. 🙂
Love is The Answer 