For many people quality of life is measured by how much prosperity is available to them, however, I contend that the best quality of life often depends on what you can get along without. I believe that the best things in life are not things.
There is a Buddhist teaching story in which a monk encounters a man who has spent his life looking for beauty and truth. "Have you found what you are looking for?" he asks. "No," replies the man. "Wonderful," the monk responds. "What do you mean by saying my unfulfilled search is wonderful?" demands the truth seeker. The monk replies, "I mean you still have something to look forward to."
Robert Fulghum writes, "Only an open mind still has room for new knowledge. What is outgrown and used up must be discarded to make room for what is yet to be learned. And much of the best thinking is done alone--in deserts, on beaches, in bed, on walks, and behind closed doors. It is why we say we need to get away--to escape from clutter and busyness--to hear ourselves think." Thoreau said, "A man who has to go to the village to get the news hasn't heard from himself in a long time."
The simplest thing, carefully considered, can become a window on the universe.
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