Thoreau said, “The creation is preserved in the wilderness.” This is synonymous with the clear mind. Keep it clean. When God created, it was all good. Mankind created crime, greed, attachment, possessiveness and strife, and then we created committees to redress the ills of society. We are still doing this. Is a complex society the mark of civilization? Or is a simple life the civilized way of living? I feel that simplicity in life builds simplicity of mind. Then I can love my Lord well. If my mind is occupied with so many things, I hardly have time and energy to love God properly. We do not get inspiration to love the Lord when we are caught up in the complexities of life and the tricks of mind. We feel boredom, which is an antonym of inspiration. Boredom is born out of complexities and having too many things. The more things we have—engagements, appointments, entertainments—the more the boredom. Have you ever asked yourself why this is so? In the old days, enjoyments came from people, animals, birds and nature, and they never complained of boredom. They didn’t have TV, movies, fast modes of communication or modern technology. The disease of boredom is more in civilized societies actually. The question is: are we using these things rightly or wrongly? Is our way of living healthy or unhealthy? Are we more civilized with complexities and busyness or would we be better off with simplicity, relaxation and peace?
      We can have peace and joy in one day if we simplify our minds. Whether you get rid of your accumulated things or not is immaterial. The mind has to be simplified so that it does not trouble you. I think entertainment is escapism, avoiding the main issue. Or put it differently: entertainment is a pale reflection of the inner joy you are seeking. If your mind is on your ideal, I don’t think you need entertainment. This is a new perspective but contemplate it and you will see the truth of it. Focus on your Goal and see if you don’t get joy.
      There is plenty of abundance in the universe. Use the things God has given or that you have earned. At the same time, do not get identified or lost in those things and lose the main issue. The mind has to be simplified so that you can concentrate and meditate upon the Imperishable, which sustains us. That is what we are seeking unconsciously all the time. But when it comes to practicality, somehow the mind gets lost. We get into bickering, position-loving, ego trips and competitiveness. This starts various kinds of philosophy, psychology, psychiatry and so many therapies and treatments. It goes on multiplying. The simple life is a healthy life, where your mind is relaxed.