There’s a beautiful essay/blog entry by Pico Iyer, the famous travel writer, in the Times today. In the essay, he talks about how he left the busy rat race to take a quieter life near Kyoto where he has no bicycle, television, or media. He acknowledges that his quiet lifestyle isn’t for everyone, but it helps him. Here’s an excerpt:
The millionaires I know seem desperate to become multimillionaires, and spend more time with their lawyers and their bankers than with their friends (whose motivations they are no longer sure of). And I remember how, in the corporate world, I always knew there was some higher position I could attain, which meant that, like Zeno’s arrow, I was guaranteed never to arrive and always to remain dissatisfied.
I think it’s a great essay that shows how simplicity can be good. Right now, I’m in expansion mode–would like to make a larger impact on the world, especially in the world of Asian American culture–but I absolutely see the value in creating a retreat.
And I do find that the world sometimes becomes more clear when I turn off the TV and computer.
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I agree with everything you said. About #1…I think...
Every year before some religious festival (I cannot remember which) the Emperor of China would fast for three days.
Purging ones self of the environmental toxins for a few days does wonders.
If you are used to having a caramel machiatto every morning and five cups of coffee, try switching to tea and finding the subtle delight in something simple.
Now if I could just turn off my computer . . .
I’ve always wanted to take one of those yoga retreats in Mexico. And then I looked at the price tag, and I realized that the only people who can afford those yoga retreats are those who have tons of cash and don’t have familial obligations–i.e. people who are already relaxed enough not to need yoga retreats.
I do realize that turning off the computer would do wonders for me.