SIMPLE LIVING

As what Confucius once said, “Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated.” Essentially, we are really free to choose on how to simplify our lives but at times, we still find other reasons to make it complicated. We should consider a work-life balance, embracing the good life we have, mindfully savoring each moment, spending quality time with family and slowing the pace of our life. Whatever we choose, the decisions should result to a life that we can afford and a life that will not further complicate our well-being and peace of mind.

There are people who live lavishly and who live a decadent lifestyle to think that there are many others who are living on the poverty and even below. We see on the television extravagant weddings of actors and actresses showing how much they can afford an ostentatious wedding and attended by well-known public officials while other couples live together without a formal union.

I feel saddened and sickened by such thoughts because as each day passes by, the rich becomes richer and the poor becomes poorer. Who wouldn’t? If almost all of the riches are already on the hands of corrupt officials and they are continuously committing the same choices over and over again.

The second-hand Porsche brought by the President became news and it would not make him very credible of the “modest life” that we are talking about. To take note of his sister Kris, bragging about her choice of brands makes him less credible as well. How about Binay’s properties? He said that he lived in poverty; and yet claimed that those he owned now are from his parents. Confusing?

During the SONA, we can see public officials with their expensive cars driving the way to the Batasan; where SONA is held before.  Then officials are dropped off wearing their expensive Barang Tagalog, suits and gowns for the ladies, shoes and jewelries matched to their attire. Is that living a simple life? They are in the government and they should lead the example of an austere live, but they are not.

I do realize that it is their choice to live a life like that to think that some of them were already born with a golden spoon on their mouth but that doesn’t mean that they should continue living a lifestyle appropriate to their positions and income.

If these are examples of living a modest life of the government officials, then there should be a Constitutional amendment to re-define Section 1, Article XI; a definition that would suit their own definition of a “simple living”.

I will deepen the difference of wants and needs so that I do not have to live a life to the extremes. I will not allow those advertisements and those personas showing off their riches on the television to be my standard of my own simple lifestyle; I will live in moderation.

I will not be climbing any mountains or do parachuting out of a plane. I will not be gambling all of my savings; instead, I will be investing these to grow. I will not be spending too much on unnecessary things such as drinks, bags, shoes, gadgets and other things since all of these will simply depreciate in the future. I will not be filling my plate with too much food and not eating all of those; thinking that there are many people who almost cannot eat once a day.

 I will not be using my credit card limits to the extent, so that I will not have to loan money just to pay it. Leaving a life of too much increase the risk of crisis and I am not willing to allow that crisis to make my life complicated; because once predicament comes in, hardship will follow.

I will always do and think of what is more important, instead of waiting for it to be finally become urgent thus leading to a stressed and complicated life and resulting further to health complications. There are countless situations that require our immediate effort before it’s too late.

Example, taking your car to the casa for its regular check-up before your auto conks out and leaves you helpless on a deserted road. Or have your regular dental check-up so that you will not experience an unbearable pain in the future. As what I always hear, “Prevention is better than cure.”

It is true that it is too difficult to live simply in a digitalized century. But when we choose to focus our lives on a simpler living, we will discover that our lives become less stressed and we can appreciate the plain things that we have. We make our life less complicated. We encounter less distractions, less responsibilities, less burdens, less commitment because we know how to stretch our time and exhaust our energy.

We should always have in mind of what is important and needed than giving more focus on our wants. We should live a life of meaning and purpose, a life full of happiness, contentment that improves our well-being making us more productive in our job as civil servants of the public and making us good role models of a simple yet satisfying life.