A basic life

Yesterday I shared a tram ride with an acquaintance, a local who lives nearby.

I can write this safety knowing that she will not read it.

She shuns material stuff (eg. computers, email, Internet, etc.) and lives a simple life. She is heavily into meditation and frequently retreats to isolated country locations (eg. an old farm house down a dirt road, far from anywhere) where she will not see anyone or have communication with anyone for 1-2 weeks. There, she goes not deep meditation and then returns to normal life.

She teaches meditation for a modest fee.

It was an interesting conversation on the tram ride to the city.

She explained how she shuns a more complex life that most of us live.

She said that she lives in a single room and requires nothing more than the basics needed to survive.

She could understand my analogy of escaping and going fishing and just getting away (from it all).

On reflection, in comparison, we do live way beyond our basic needs.

It was refreshing to learn about her lifestyle.

In a way, we seek such isolation (and an alternative lifestyle) when we go on holiday. However, normally it is not such a frugal and isolated experience. But we do return and say how wonderful it was with no newspapers, no emails and no phone calls.