Foto de Prasanth Inturi en Pexels
This question is extremely important to our lives. Sustainability and Holistic Living are pilars to our well-being. Usual lives are not necessarily good lives. The 21st Century has taught us that having a house and a job are not decisive facts to our happiness. Don't misunderstand me; it is tremendously important to have a job and somewhere to live. Nevertheless, we live in a time where mental health issues reached the highest numbers since recordings on this matter started to be taken. There must be a reason for this. And I think that reason lays in the pilars I mentioned, which can be translated into two questions.
Firstly, how sustainable are our lives? Sustainability is not just about asking ourselves how often do we recycle. This question has a much wider range and reaches the most essential aspects of life. We should, hence, think about how much time we spend in nature, and how much nature do we have with us in our homes. If we dig deeper into this question, we will realize that happiness has much to do with sustainability. Depending on your home's size, you might be able to cultivate your own food (at least, certain agricultural products as tomatos, potatos...). By doing so, we will not only save some money, but also learn to enjoy the present moment. In a world where everything is instantaneous, planting tomatos becomes a necessary stop, an indispensable pause in our lives to disconnect ourselves from the artificial fast-growing modern world and branch ourselves to the real natural world.
Moreover, if you don't live in a place where you can cultivate your own food (an apartment downtown London, for instance) you can maintain many plants in your appartment. You cannot imagine the direct relationship existing between your level of contact with nature and your level of happiness. The fewer contact with nature, the less happy you are. Nonetheless, we must not forget the sustainable part of this matter in what regards our planet, not just us. The truth is that having plants in our appartment or at our homes has a definitely positive and direct impact in the planet.
Secondly, it is necessary to ask ourselves how holistic are our lives. We are with no doubt connected to the social networks, smartphones, the TV and an uncountable number of electornic devices which make our lives definitely easier. As in the first question, making our lives easier is not the same as making us happier. There is an inextricable and non negligible at all difference between both concepts. Thus, a more spiritual life is tremendously beneficial to our happiness. Many people just have never meditated. Many people are absolutely disconnected from themselves, and that is extremely dangerous to their happiness. Never have I seen anyone who regretted after meditating. The brunt of meditation is the connection with yourself and the fact that it makes you realize that everything you need to live a good life is inside of you, not outside. That is the actual core of self-sufficiency.
In addition, what I call the holistic values of life are very similar between the different faiths. We prone to think of various common values such as generosity or hospitality as non-holistic values. Just some kind of basic civic norms that imperate in our society. Nevertheless, everything acquires a greater sense when we realize that every action we take has an impact in the spiritual dimension. The spiritual world has an impact in our daily lives, even if we do not see it. Everything we do serves to a greater cause, and being aware of this is the key to a successful life. Because only then we know that anything in life lacks of sense. The gate leading to this essential knowledge lays in meditation.
To conclude, I strongly think that those two questions are at the core of a happy life. At least, in my humble opinion. I hope this has been useful for all of you.