There is nothing like a bit of adventure off the beaten path to remind us of the importance of having less. Just last night I was trekking through a dark, tropical backstreet of Seminyak. The light was fading when two mangy dogs let out an ominous howl. The threat came out of nowhere. Safe to say, I immediately did a 180 u-turn and walked a different route. Walking through construction sites, small shacks and streetside vendors, Bali is the most unlikely place where you would expect happiness to blossom. And yet, when walking the streets and meeting with locals, it is abundantly clear that the Balinese are content with their lives. The radiance, the compassion, and the ability to open their country to westerners are unique. There is something intriguing about carrying a small pack, with nothing more than a few clothes and essentials that is liberating. Maybe it is disposing of the emotional baggage we carry around in our heads each day. Perhaps it is freeing ourselves from the consumer desire for accessories and status items.
When we buy ‘things’, be that clothes, shoes or cars, we subconsciously assign a value to that item. So you bought a Mercedes Benz convertible? 10 points to you. Are you walking around with a Rolex watch? You must be rich. That $1000 suit looks great on you, but...are you secretly miserable? By searching for the next consumable, we are competing against others in a shallow and superficial manner. We max out our credit cards and consume all of our paychecks for collecting stuff. That is what is meant by living in the ‘rat race’. We are consumer hamsters and we are stuck on the treadmill. Comparing ourselves to others, in this way, makes us feel deeply inadequate. Our attachment to accumulating 'stuff' is unhealthy. Here is the paradox though - no one gives a shit. That new car...no one can see you anyway because of your tinted windows. That Rolex might be shiny but is a foolish method of telling time. That new shirt is going to be thrown out next year anyway as fashion inevitably changes. So why then are people who have so little, such as the Balinese, so content and gracious?
This notion comes back to what really is important in life: Family, fulfilling relationships, friends, spiritual fulfilment, a sense of community, good food, sunshine, a healthy amount of relaxation, an adequate form of shelter, a purpose and enthusiastic application to one's profession. Even though modern homospaiens have evolved from ancient primates walking around on the savannah, the ancient circuitry in our brains cannot help but assign a number that compares each other on the dominance hierarchy. We are ancient chimps with modern tools. Generally speaking, the greater the inequality between people in society, the greater the unhappiness (this is called the GINI coefficient). Countries such as Brazil, the USA and South Africa rank highly on the GINI coefficient and violent crime while countries such as Scandinavian, Australia and New Zealand are more equal and equitable, with an even socio-economic distribution.
More than anything, travelling to a developing country allows for a re-evaluation of what is important. Sure, the workload at your new job might be challenging, but you should be thankful for stable employment. Sure the traffic was busy, but at least the water system is safe and plentiful. Yes at times we suffer, for whatever reason, but that is part of being human. With the decline in religion over the last hundred years, we have forgotten the message that suffering is part of the human condition. Christianity symbolises this notion through the cross. Judaism through recollection. And Buddhism constantly reminds followers that there is suffering from physical ageing, impermanence and existential suffering. With the decline and absence of these institutions in our daily lives, we’ve lost a guide to coping with these existential questions.
By substituting churches with shopping malls, we have lost some of those important lessons. It is time to throw out the unnecessary and embrace the essential. Take photos and leave footprints. Sometimes less is really more.
