Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Living our Lives

I've written before about my desire to live the 'simple life' which in my view also covers a living a more 'spiritual life'. A 'simple life' is getting back to living a healthy, natural life, and a 'spiritual life' is living a life where I am filled with contentment and love.

Lately I've been feeling the need to make changes to my life more and more. I think that being Spring I just want to jump start new things and spring clean many areas of my life and home, but I also feel that it's more than just that.

I'm sure other people feel this too. There is a restlessness, a feeling that there has got to be more to this life than what we have at the moment. A need to escape the daily treadmill and really LIVE OUR LIFE. But there is indecision. We are all so used to the life we live, the way our society lives, yet we're not satisfied by it. We want more. But we're not sure what this more actually is, let alone how to achieve it. We feel that we have lost something, but we no longer remember what that something was, only that it is missing in our lives.

I believe that our society is ready for a change, a re-emergence of the fulfilling life we all deserve. Not just deserve, that we are here to experience. That we were each born for. Life isn't about working hard to earn money to give to someone else so we can have a house and food, to pay the bills and to pay for prepackaged entertainment that comes in one of million different forms that we can choose from. How did our society become like this? So focused on things on the outside? Our lives are defined more by the education or career we have, or lack of it, than what we contribute to our family, community and world.

We only live ON this Earth. We no longer feel a PART of this Earth. We came from the earth, we once lived in harmony with it, which is what man was born to do. We were not born to dominate the Earth and other people, in a race to prove who is the best by twisted standards of power and greed.

We have become disconnected from ourselves, our families, our communities and most of all, our world. Perhaps this is what we have lost, what we feel is missing. Perhaps this is why we feel this restlessness, this need, to search for something. We are no longer really a part of this earth. We drive around in air conditioned cars, sealed off from the real world, work deep inside concrete and steel buildings with the only connection to the outside world being through a plate glass window if we're lucky, and we spend majority of our time at home inside, on the computer, watching tv, cleaning and cooking, with the occasional puff of outside air coming through the window, but only on nice days of course! The way we have sealed ourselves off from nature is amazing yet tragic, though no one even really stops to think about it as we just get on with our busy day, never questioning how we live.

Yet there is an unhappiness inside us, a restlessness, a need. Many people feel it on a sub conscious level, and it leads to both minor and major negative behaviours, from being grumpy with our kids, to road rage to more dangerous and terrible things. People just don't know what's 'wrong' but all we do is look at the surface issues - my kids are too hyper, I was late and they cut in front of me on the road etc. But what is really wrong with our society, and each of us? We're missing something.

We can read every self help and spiritual book there is on how to find it again, but I believe that just as each of us is unique, we must each find this something in our own way. Yet conversely, it will also take our society as a whole to change in order for things to change.

I have no idea what will happen, only that it needs to happen.

We each need to look inside ourselves, and at the same time look around this wondrous earth that has given us life and shelter and find that missing something.

Peace?
Contentment?
Meaning to life?
Respect?
Love?
Purpose?

I would love to hear your views on this in the comments.

4 comments:

  1. I know that feeling. I get it every Fall and Winter. I think that's why I've been so compelled to start the other blog. I'm searching for something and I'm not sure what else. The restlessness is getting to me and I'm just trying to figure out what I need too. I hope you find what you need

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  2. Here here. When everyone started to panic about an economic crisis in the west, all I could think was 'let's hope this brings people back to earth'. We have become so compelled by materialism, greed, power and consumerism and I just wish to be as far away from that as I can, sustaining myself naturally from the land and living simply by its seasons. I don't think we'll ever get to a point where everyone returns to that - I think it's too late. But there are more and more who want it, and if we as individuals act, maybe there will be a big enough shift. Blessings.

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  3. very deep L. Not too sure what to say........

    Gill

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  4. I hadn't thought of us being disconnected from Earth, but it rings true and I am one of the many to feel the disconnect. I don't know what the answer is for me and my family or for the wider world other than there is more to life than our own little world of materialism. We need to be a part of a community again, a wider family and actually support each other rather than trying to tear down those who are actually making a difference. I want to make a difference; in my family, in my work, in my community and in the wider community. For me I think the first step is education but from there, who knows?
    We are all living in our own worlds, doing things fo

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