Seems like an oxymoron doesn’t it? Subsistence
at first glance has connotations of deprivation, hardship and burden clinging
to it (province of the poor and unfortunate), but upon closer inspection a
shift in perspective reveals some interesting things.
Truth is, too many possessions, too many rooms
to clean in our personal dwellings, too many obligations, too many options,
tends to translate into too much worry, anxiety and stress, leaving one feeling
depleted and care worn. I’m not interested in keeping all those balls in the
air, merely a well chosen few.
Having just enough to meet my basic needs (to
subsist), frees me physically,
mentally and emotionally. With proper management and the excess trimmed off there
is less getting in the way of a life of robust happiness, genuine well-being
and joy. It also means there is enough to go around, to share with others that
they also might meet all their basic needs.
I want to breathe deep and take pleasure in a
more—dare I even admit this—leisurely
experience of life as it unfolds. Don’t get me wrong I like working well
enough, just not at a manic and life-depleting pace.
As I am a writer this means having time for
reading, writing and the distillation of ideas. Making space for simply
observing and experiencing life in and around me is essential if I am to avoid
mediocrity and do my job well. The world is too full of mediocrity already,
yes?
Clarity, contentment and peace become more
frequent visitors. Chaos, obviously, will have its way now and again, but with
a life pared down to essentials riding out the storm is a much simpler thing to
manage than it otherwise might be.
Subsistence (having just enough to meet basic
needs) is ultimately liberating. A tool which holds tremendous potential for facilitating
the reclamation of one’s life in the most meaningful of terms—self-possession.
It is the gateway to a life of robust happiness,
genuine well-being and joy. Three things the pursuit of wealth, status and
power tend to stand in the way of.
It’s no accident that sages of all stripes have
chosen this, or a similar way of life.
Think about it.
