Many people think that the ones living in huge houses and have tons of money are happy – but they’re not. I belive that the real happy ones are those who managed to simplify their lives and freed themselves from the chains of this consumer society.
One thing that this society will always teach us is to lack. Always lack… we never have enough no matter how much we try.
Simplicity drives stress away.
Look at the little ones. They are very happy when they have a tiny toy car to play with – happier than their parents are with a big expensive Mercedes. Ask a little girl “what do you wish for? A doll or a huge mansion?”, and you’ll see that she would answer “a doll”.
This reminds me of a nice story about simplicity:
The American businessman was at the pier of a small coastal Mexican village when a small boat with just one fisherman docked. Inside the small boat were several large yellowfin tuna. The American complimented the Mexican on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took to catch them.
The Mexican replied only a little while. The American then asked why didn’t he stay out longer and catch more fish? The Mexican said he had enough to support his family’s immediate needs. The American then asked, “But what do you do with the rest of your time?” The Mexican fisherman said, “I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, take siesta with my wife, Maria, stroll into the village each evening where I sip wine and play guitar with my amigos, I have a full and busy life, senior.”
The American scoffed, “I am a Harvard MBA and could help you. You should spend more time fishing and with the proceeds, buy a bigger boat with the proceeds from the bigger boat you could buy several boats, eventually you would have a fleet of fishing boats. Instead of selling your catch to a middleman you would sell directly to the processor, eventually opening your own cannery. You would control the product, processing and distribution. You would need to leave this small coastal fishing village and move to Mexico City, then LA and eventually NYC where you will run your expanding enterprise.”
The Mexican fisherman asked, “But senior, how long will this all take?”
To which the American replied, “15-20 years.”
“But what then, senior?”
sponsored linksThe American laughed and said that’s the best part. “When the time is right you would announce an IPO and sell your company stock to the public and become very rich, you would make millions.”
“Millions, senior? Then what?”
The American said, “Then you would retire. Move to a small coastal fishing village where you would sleep late, fish a little, play with your kids, take siesta with your wife, stroll to the village in the evenings where you could sip wine and play your guitar with your amigos.”
Don’t complicate your life, it’s not worth it.
