A Box Cannot Contain The Human Soul

It doesn't matter how many valuable objects may be in it.

A while back, as I was moving out of my NY apartment, I came to the realization that I was packing stuff that I hadn’t used in years.

Bam! Hello, Minimalism!

Photo by Pickawood on Unsplash

What a relief it was to throw away literally 75% of all that clutter.

Sure, it was tough at first. Separation anxiety — of sorts — hit hard.

These items I was disengaging from, although material, were part of my identity.

Am I throwing away parts of myself? —The thought hounded me.

But then, I read an excellent quote: “Character is property. It is the noblest of possessions.” ~Samuel Smiles

Photo by Rajat Verma on Unsplash

And I exhaled like never before.

I was free. Free of the chains identifying me with someone else.

Life is simple. It’s our frenemy, ego, that complicates it.

We aren’t boxes packed with 40 years of collecting.

We are magic beings who cannot be put inside a box.

If we could go back to basics instead, life would be conducive to a better disposition all around. There’s no need to see and equate with what others have to measure our own well-being.

Minimalism may be extreme, but it illustrates a point. For example, there’s a sense of peace and order when one steps inside a Zen monastery. That state of calmness doesn't just happen; it’s by design.

One may say it’s not for everyone, but on the other hand, you can observe that that way of life, as simplistic as it is, brings them much peace and joy.

Our efforts are better placed in our evolution as beings, not as collectors of clutter.

Simplifying the whole lot of our lives, from the material to our behaviors and endeavors, can put us on a track of self-discovery.

These days, we need to observe that more than ever in our evolutionary history. ~o~