The Essentials of Life

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“What is essential is invisible to the eye.” Saint-Exuprey in “The Little Prince”

Essential is defined as something very basic, necessary. It is said the essentials of life are food, water and shelter. But is that it? Will having those things insure one of a happy, complete life? To those struggling day-to-day to survive the answer is yes, indeed. For those not knowing where or how their next nourishment will be obtained those truly are the basic essentials of life. Those basic essentials are very similar to those in the animal or plant kingdoms, all living things have the same basic essential needs.

A percentage of the human population can survive and live happily as a hermit for example, the remainder are not able to simplify their lives to that extreme and be happy doing so. Those essentials are quickly taken for granted by those who are fortunate to have access to resources that provide these essentials seamlessly. For those, the bar is raised from basic survival needs to needs of fulfillment, happiness and satisfaction. Enter the needs of companionship, human touch, intellectual stimulation, compassion, love, a life’s purpose, etc. For example, a recent British survey (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2339523/The-20-necessities-modern-life-simply-live-without.html) showed that Britons feel that a cup of tea, fast internet connections, television, an iPhone all made their top 20 necessities of life list. It should be noted that included in that top 20 list were cuddles, trustworthy friends, hearing “I love you” occasionally and a good cry now and then.

Per the Dali Lama, we are social animals who need friends. We need a community to survive. Friends are made on the basis of trust, which only grows if you are kind to people. Kindness and compassion gives rise to self-confidence, which empowers you to be honest, truthful and transparent. This self-confidence brings peace of mind, which also favors good health. That needed community surrounds us on a daily basis. We are all “One”, from the same source. Differences among us abound, but the commonality far surpasses those differences. They are not often easily visible and effort is needed to uncover them, but they are there everywhere. The same basic beliefs, likes, dislikes, fears are shared by many even if not apparent on the surface. These invisible commonalities are what bind us all together in this Universe of mankind. There is no need to wait for a crisis before uniting under a common cause. Make this lifetime a common cause and be mindful daily of the union of mankind.

May your every day be a blessed day!