Simple (?) Living

I’ve mentioned previously that Simple Living is one of the desired goals espoused by my NGO. We had a workshop at orientation in August to come up with a definition of what Simple Living meant to us as a collective, it was a long, well-thought out debate and we finally concluded the discussion with something along the lines of simple living being to progress through life without having to consume more than what is required and still being able to maintain the same level of satisfaction and happiness.

Simple Living is important in India for a whole range of reasons (as a social worker that is), first of all, you are constantly in interaction with a community in which you are a relative stranger whether it be, in my case, Ahmedabad or Babapur. We are all representatives of the people we were raised by, the people we love and befriend and certainly of the people we work for. Simple example; my entire apartment block knows I work for an NGO, they also know that I’m here on a voluntary basis with a very modest yet reasonable amount of money to see me through the year. This means that I am immediately labeled. I cannot live as they do, and they know it. They know I don’t have a TV and barely any furniture, they also know that I spend 80% of my time anywhere but in my apartment and arrive at odd hours of the night from random places I’ve been to for work such as the Kasturba Ashram and Babapur. They know that I can’t blow money on things such as a TV etc. so it would be a tad awkward if I arrived at home one day carrying a plasma TV or splashed out on buying some brand spanking new clothes. So I try and be simple. Granted, it hasn’t been all that successful thusfar, but the more I think about it, the more I desire to live without things I once depended on. Its creeping up to six months in India for me, and as each day goes by I’m beginning to question each and every object I’ve acquired and consumed. Ironically, this has been all the more highlighted since I’ve been away from Ahmedabad and in Bangalore/Chennai amongst family and friends for a family wedding (more about that later). Anyway, its slowly dawning on me how little I need to survive in life. Its something I’ve been taught, I’ve heard and I’ve written definitions about but its only now that its beginning to sink in.

I don’t need a lot of stuff I’ve indulged in. I really don’t. Money and happiness (to a large extent) truly are mutually exclusive. The people I’ve come across here [outside] family circles, the various people I’ve interacted with have helped me process that lesson step by step. Recently my mother and my brother arrived in India with a 20kg suitcase of things for me, things I’d requested them to bring months ago. And now that I sit here surrounded by it, I wonder, why do I need nutella and cornflakes? A certain, special type of deodorant or accessory? I’d done just fine without the stuff so far, why was it suddenly such a big deal? Why am I trying so hard to recreate Sydney in India? Why am I here then? Why did I bother? I am a tad disappointed to be learning this lesson so far along this experience, but the fact that I can now turn things around excites me, immensely. I cannot come to uplift and empower the downtrodden if I’m having cappuccinos at expensive café’s or gorging myself silly at exclusive restaurants. I can’t watch a child ask his rag-picker mother to buy him chocolate, only to be rejected, whilst I gleefully live upon the stuff myself. I know it seems obvious, and probably is to most of you, but such lessons take time with me. I’ll be the first to admit that I’m a tad slow. But knowing this has finally helped me to slowly pry away those shackles that have kept me bound for so long. So very long. There is something so liberating about wearing old fashioned clothing and not giving a damn. There is something to traveling by general class in a train and not feeling out of place or high and mighty that is so incredible. Last week I switched my phone off for a week, neither communicating nor attempting to communicate via a medium I’d always referred to as my lifeline. Suddenly the 12 rupee parathas and sabzis at the lorry-wallah down the street from work don’t sound too bad. I’m happy to walk a little further than opting for an auto, I can do without L’Oreal and the continual need to check email, that’s okay. It all sounds a tad lofty and idealistic I know, but I know I can come to achieve this, and hopefully bring some sort of equilibrium to my rather skewed and unbalanced life of wants and needs.

It's been two weeks and this internal conflict does not seem to want to subside in the slightest. I still feel guilty when I have expensive coffees or even interact in exclusive circles/classes of people. The tribal people in Gir forest, the kids from the poorest government schools come to mind as do all the slum kids in the Tekra in Ahmedabad. I can’t claim to help anyone, that much I know. Help is a term that shouldn’t exist in anyone’s vocabulary, its one of the most patronising terms in the English language, I like to think of any interaction as a exchange, there is never a one sided gain. But whilst I am interacting with these kids, I cannot live with myself if I continue to be who I have been for the past 24 years. It can't happen. Something has to give. And something hopefully will, soon. The thought process has begun and I feel it taking shape as it begins to shadow my every action. It's time for change. And I need your assistance. What are some effective ways of simplifying life without wasting or indulging on the unnecessary? How do you curb those desires that tempt you to go against what you know is a hurdle you are trying to overcome? Any tips? Any ideas? Anything you’ve tried that’s worked? Your advice is much appreciated as always.