Grandpa's Wisdom on Living a Simple Life
Even though I’m 23 years old, I have the habit of listening to Grandpa’s stories at night.
Recently, after having our dinner and before going to bed, Grandpa told me it would be a long session today. I was really excited because he was going to tell me his college days stories.
Grandpa said, “During my college days, me and my friends met a monk from India. The monk came to our university to address us. He was calm and composed. You can see the bright light on his face and his tranquil behavior.
And one of my friends asked him how to live a simple life. The monk sarcastically said, be a monk.
Then he answered that life is not just about living, it’s more about experiencing. By experience, I meant everything — joy, sorrow, pain, and happiness.
And I will share 3 things that helped me to lead a simple life:
- Prioritize What Truly Matters
Identify your core values and focus on them. Eliminate unnecessary distractions and possessions that do not align with your values. And stop seeking people's attention.
When I was your age, I used to seek people's attention and do things to be liked by them. And it made me more miserable, and it never worked out. - Practice Mindfulness
Cultivate mindfulness through meditation or other techniques that help you stay present in the moment. This will bring a sense of peace and clarity to your life.
Start reading holy books. It will show you the path in the dark like it did to me. I believe that there is some power, beyond science, that is looking after us. - Embrace Nature
Spend time in nature regularly. It will ground you, offer perspective, and inspire you to lead a simpler and more sustainable life.
Most of the life lessons I have learned from the monastery, but few I have learned from nature. Learning from nature is like learning from GOD for me.
I was half asleep when Grandpa was telling me all this, but I remember most of the things.
And it does make sense to me. Because, in our generation, what we lack is focus. We get easily distracted, including me. But to overcome all this, we have to look inside.