“Look for the Bare Necessities”
One of the things that modernization and technology have done for us these days is to give us many options in life. For example, when we purchase things, whether it is food, vehicles, computers or cellphones, we are confronted by an expanding array of brands, flavors and options. Take milk, for example. If we only had just plain milk in the past, now we have skimmed milk, calcium-enriched, vitamin-enhanced, high-protein and etc.,
Similarly, we have more options in our choice of careers and lifestyle, and this can make our lives more complicated than before. However, I do not deny that choice can be a good thing. But, sometimes too many options become a source of distraction and frustration, and we lose our priorities and maybe even forget what our original objectives are.
How to combat this malady of modernity? Do not get caught by discounts so that you will not end up with things that you do not need. This resonates well with my preference not to browse and window-shop. Get to the shop, choose from what they have, buy it and go home.
Consider the wise words of Baloo the bear in The Jungle Book
Look for the bare necessities,
The simple bare necessities,
Forget about your worries and your strife;
I mean the bare necessities,
That’s why a bear can rest at ease,
With just the bare necessities of life,
Don’t spend your time looking around,
For something you want that can’t be found,
When you find out you can live without it,
And go along not thinking about it,
I’ll tell you something true,
The bare necessities of life will come to you,
They’ll come to you.
In this regard, I am certain that Baloo the Bear would heartily shake paws and hands with the great sage Lao Tzu if he hears him saying this:
Be content with what you have,
Rejoice in the way things are;
When you realize there is nothing lacking,
The whole world belongs to you.
