Lt Col R K Langar
Greatness lies in simplicity as great things are always simple. Simplicity aims at present day things as they are without complicating them by showing your command over language or grammar. Simple statement and writing are easily understood and when things are clearly understood, they are well assimilated. Simplicity is directly linked with your inner life. When your inner life is anchored on virtues like Truth, love, purity, righteousness and peace, your expression becomes simple and straight forward. Then Truth becomes centre of all your activities. Truth becomes your guide. The life of a simple person is an open book where there is nothing to hide any thing from any one. A simple person attracts others with his inner beauties. Unless you practice moral virtues and use them in your conduct, You cannot be branded as a simple person.
Why do people complicate things There is a tendency among human beings to complicate their expression in order to look more knowledgeable. This is a misbelief. People erroneously feel that when things are presented in a difficult manner, they would be appreciated for their scholarly style and presentation. This misconception may appeal to a small section of audience. Majority of people are not scholarly type and they readily grasp things which are presented without any twist and turn. Whenever I read some articles in the newspapers or magazines I always feel that the contents could have been presented in a simple way to attract maximum readers. The belief that things only appear extraordinary when these are presented in a difficult style needs to be corrected. Extraordinary things are always simple. Clarity and deep understanding of a subject are essential for presenting things in a simple way. When you are simple and lead a simple life you discover that life gives you space to bring about inner growth. In inner growth, one always finds newness and never ending interest in one’s life. There is always a joy in being simple under all conditions.
Simplicity and acceptance We have no choice but to work with people who are different than us. Therefore we have to accept people as they are without offering any comments on their conduct. When you accept people and situations as they are you create simplicity in your mind and you become fully aware of yourself. With total self awareness it becomes easy to upgrade yourself to a higher state of existence. When you are simple you express yourself without any hesitation. Simplicity is the beauty of all virtues. Simple life is not a life of poverty but it is a life of purpose. A simple person is always sincere. Sincerity is a virtue of virtues which projects purity of intention. Sincerity is the foundation of character.
Simple living and High thinking Unless we are simple we cannot think high. High thinking is nothing but unselfish thinking. We generally think about our own self, about our worldly gains but we seldom think about others, their problems and what can be done by us to be of some use to them. High thinking is selective thinking where we choose what to think. In high thinking you donot allow your mind to entertain unwanted thoughts. Your attitude in life becomes “how can I contribute to make the world a better place to live”. Simplicity can be applied in all spheres of life like dress, food, talk and in our interaction with others. Simple people are always at peace with themselves and with others.
Art of simplicity To remain simple the first thing we have to do is to align our thoughts, words and deeds. What it means is that what you think and feel what you speak and what you do is in harmony with each other. For example if you tell some one that he is a nice person, you should also feel that the person is nice. But if you feel that the person is not good in your eyes and you tell him that he is a good person to extract some selfish gain from them, then this is hypocrisy. Alignment of thoughts words and deeds is the basic requirement for becoming a simple person. This also means that you inner life (what you think) should coincide with your outer life (what you speak and what you do). We mistakenly feel that our outward pattern of behavior should be different under different conditions. This should never happen. We must ensure that our behavior and conduct should remain constant whether we are talking to a reputed person or when we are talking to any other person. Simplicity also demands that what you actually are and what you project yourself to the outer world and what people think of you should be similar and not different. The tendency to project yourself more that what you actually are is quite common. Swami Vivekananda once remarked that 90% of people present themselves much bigger than what they actually are in order to impress others regarding their capabilities. This does not work in the long run.
God and simplicity God is Absolutely simple. He is well wisher of all irrespective of caste, creed or nationality. God does not need complicated ritualistic worships from His devotees. In Bhagavad Gita Lord Krishna says that whoever offers Him fruit, flowers, water and even a leaf with love and devotion and from a pure heart He accepts. So be simple, pure and loving and God shall always be on your side. When God is on your side you constantly feel that nothing can go wrong with you.
Aids for becoming simple Life when live righteously leads to living a simple life. Another name for simple living is living a regulated, disciplined and organized life. Living in moderation is simple living when you live a virtuous life you are always simple and when you are simple you notice only good things of others. It is the bad in us which deviates us from simplicity. Living in present is yet another aid to simple living. Thinking about past or worrying about our future depletes our energy. Living in present also means not to anticipate problems and troubles in our life. Our experience tells us that sometime we unnecessarily anticipate and magnify our problems which later do not appear at all. When the mind is free from the regrets of the past and worry for the future, you shall always feel light and shall entertain fewer thoughts. Positive thinking also contributes towards simple living since you remain balanced and undertake those works which are essential corresponding to your positive thoughts. In simple living you reduce your needs, upgrade your desires for doing noble acts and you focus at your priorities. Then you donot create irrelevant and negative thoughts. When the thoughts which you entertain are reduced you have plenty of space in your mind to permit noble thoughts to enter. This makes you strong from inside and you utilize your time purposefully. Hence do not ever underestimate the power of simplicity.
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