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EBAY and I often talk about how our life can become so complex so quickly. We try to find meaning in this crazy day-to-day life that we live that it often times creates more questions than answers. As we discussed how influential the camp that we both worked at has been in our lives and how easy it is to simplify your life in that setting, it poses a question of How do we making life meaningful outside of camp or in the "real world?" Enjoy!
DWEST (Dylan West): So often we hear, "life is what you make it" or "story of my life" often eluding to the reason we see these struggles or these challenges one encounters because that is what life embodies. I question if that is true. We, as people, are so hung up by the many details of life that we forget how simple it can be. It is a gift. In my opinion it is the greatest gift we are given and yet so few people fail to remember or live by their response to What makes life meaningful? The answer to this question is the foundation to the way in which you live but more times than not I believe it is forgotten based on how busy we get in our day-to-day lives. It amazes me how people will fail to make meaning in their life because of the responsibilities they hold in their daily lives. As if their job or their other responsibilities should inhibit them from finding meaning or living out the meaning they wish to hold in this life. For me, life remains simple because we enjoy life for what it is and not what we want it to be. I challenge myself to eliminate this futuristic mindset and focus on living in the moment and understanding what it is that I have been given. Life should be about the people we surround ourself with, the job that makes us happy, the adventures we take, the pets we own, or that motivation to go down the path not taken. These areas in life should all support the answer to the question to what makes this life meaningful for you. It is about eliminating this MIND FULL attitude and instead being mindful of what life is. That is they key to simplicity.
EBAY (Erik Bay): When I think about this quote from Yvon Chouinard I think about the fast-paced life in which we are all a part of. We are constantly being told to get the latest gadget and piece of technology. We are told to be the best, to make the most money, and to live a materialistic life. But what if we stopped and took a second to really think about what is important in life. Why only take a second? Let’s take a few months, or a year. Or let’s spend the rest of our lives contemplating what it REALLY means to be part of this world and live a meaningful life. At its core, life is so very simple, but as Yvon Chouinard reminds us, we do a fantastic job of making our lives quite complex. Every individual on this planet follows the same foundation for living. We all eat, drink, sleep, get rid of excrement, and procreate to keep the human race going. I breathe the same air as the stranger on the bus, and so do you. I bleed red blood just like the trauma victim in the ER, and so do you. I drink the same water as the family in a third-world country thousands of miles away who has to walk 10 miles in order to replenish their bodies, and so do you. It’s that simple. We also all need love; to love and to be loved. That stranger on the bus, the trauma victim in the ER, and that family thousands of miles away needs to feel love.
I am as guilty as anyone when it comes to complicating things. It’s a constant struggle to not fall into the consumeristic and materialistic society in which we live. It’s easy to forget about the truly important things when we are surrounded by such evil. But there’s a place where I can escape all of that. There’s a place where things are based entirely on love for yourself, your neighbor and for the Earth. Pure, genuine, unaltered love. It’s so simple that much of the time it feels like you’re living a dream and when you leave that place, you enter the “real world”. The world filled with hatred, greed, and jealousy; the world where love seems to be scarce and hard to find.
But why does it take a place you have to escape to in order to feel that love that we all need? Why must we constantly be surrounded by sadness and cruelty? Why do certain people treat others so poorly? Now, you’re reading this and probably thinking that I hate the world and am a natural pessimist. I don’t, and I’m not. I am filled with hope as I witness every single day random acts of kindness, and when I see people love each other out of the goodness of their heart. Along with all of those basic human needs, we all need love; to love and to be loved. It’s that simple.