How Much Do We Really Need

This is an interesting video about living not only off the grid but way out there in the middle of, well for some the middle of nowhere and for others, living in the whole great big everywhere. I remember hearing about yogis who did this in the mountains. I remember giving my things away and just traveling or living without to see what that was like. As a result I realized that no matter where you go, ...you take yourself with you. And no matter what you may use to escape your problems or challenges (the greatest of these for me anyway were my excuses) the farther it takes you from your life, your true moment of life. And though I learned a lot about life and human nature (especially, my own) I realized it was far more interesting to step aside from the mirror and to walk through life with my eyes opened. It was much easier to see what was in front of me. And by living this way, I learned something. Ii doesn't matter what people have, or what they don't have; substance comes from a life time of decisions. Usually, the difficult choices and truths I chose to face wound up being the most liberating.

A little more than three decades ago I was exploring back in the swamps of Georgia. The trees were exotic and big leafed and they grew so high that they drooped over and formed a ceiling of green as far as the eye could see. Bright rays of sun sprinkled brilliance wherever they found a spot to light. It was gloriously alive. We passed through the swamp and followed along side a stream. Windows opened, no air conditioning, no radio. And then we heard chickens squawking. We saw chickens bobbing through the underbrush. And then we spotted a shanty. It's roof was a piece of corrugated metal and other scraps of this and that which kept the rest of the forest out, just barely. And there up by the hut was a barefooted child with uncut hair running after the chickens. People lived here. In this remote area. A few miles from an off ramp of a two-lane. Right here in the good ol' US of A. You'd have to look far and wide for the peace I felt there, listening to the sounds of nature and the wind moving through the trees.br>
How much do we really need? Is there a balance between nothing and being content with what we can comfortably earn and then spend less and save more? Do we really need cable TV? Do we really need to spend as much as we do on most things? What do we support with the money we have? These are all good questions to think about.