I am reminded of Amitabh Bachhan’s famous line from the film Deewar: "aaj mere paas property hai, bank balance hai, bangla hai, gaadi hai tumhare paas kya hai?" And then Shashi Kapoor replies "Mere paas maa hai". In the journey called life, everyone has their own ups and downs, daily struggles, and sufferings. Within which achievements, success, and wealth also reside. Everyone aspires to rise, accumulate wealth, and become successful. Sometimes we try within our capabilities and sometimes by even going beyond our capabilities to achieve something and as a result we succeed and accumulate wealth. But do we stop here? Is this the end? Is this the destination? No, everyone knows that no one stops; instead, we try to acquire more and more!

When it comes to real life, the scenario is much different. Rise in modernization, globalisation, and eradication of cultural boundaries impacted the human civilization and growth of the society in variety of ways. We are in the 21st century amidst the immense technical advancements, gadgets, machines, materials, entertainment etc. People say that materials make our lives easier because necessity is the mother of invention. But does promoting materialism and consumerism really help social evolution? Does it really help to get the better of us? One of the major and direct impacts on the lives of humans is that, due to the rat race and increase of materialistic things around us, we are getting away from our closer ones. We do not have enough time to give to our loved ones, which is part of their entitlement. Yes, our loved ones do have control over our time. We are not having time to even talk to them. Parents do not have time for their children. The adults (son, daughter) don’t have time to spend with their family or parents, which is creating a sense of aloneness and loneliness deep within their minds. Children are affected on a different level; they are swerved. A feeling of distance is being created between the bonds of the relation. People are getting away from each other emotionally, and when this distance increases to a certain level, a bizarre situation like a son sending his parents to an old age home forcefully, is witnessed. Instead of living happily and with prosperity, we are creating emotional turmoil. Well, this is just one aspect. Running behind and achieving more and more leads to personal dissatisfaction as well. We become more selfish, and our greed increases. Side by side, a sense of pride gets elevated by acquiring more. We know well how pride and overconfidence lead to the downfall of a well-off, successful person. Increased materialism has a profound effect on both individuals and society. A person who gets affected by it in the family is part of society, and society is part of a nation, and a nation is part of the world. We can’t take our eyes off it, as we are part of a society. It is not wrong to say that humanity is suffering the most in the race to achieve more.

So, are there any limitations? Is there any line or boundary where we must be satisfied and stop wanting for more? What can we do? It is said that when a problem is born, its solution is born before the problem. We just need to discover it. We need to practise certain human qualities willingly so that our achievements and wealth don’t turn against us and act against us, thereby creating emotional turmoil in our lives. One such idea to practise is the idea of a minimalist lifestyle, up to a certain extent. A minimalist living is the way of living in which we start living on bare minimum. The person who spends his or her life in this way is called a minimalist and this lifestyle is called a minimalist lifestyle. Possess only what is needed. Yes! Simple living, high thinking. Enjoy the things that you already have. A person's ultimate goal in life is to have food on the table twice a day, a place to live, some savings, a clear mind, less to worry about, and a sense of peace. In a way, living a minimalist lifestyle is a blessing. You have what is needed; you have the room to live your life connected to your family and near and dear ones. You are connected to your true self. The need of the hour is to live a less stressful life that is in accordance with natural laws. One may find it challenging, but once you start living that way and embrace it willingly, it will be like a blessed life. You need to start by replacing your old habits with the new habit of living on less. When you laugh with your family, sitting with your loved ones, you give value to each other and make everyone happy. When others are happy due to you, you will sense a different experience, a feeling that is beyond words. In a way, it’s a life hack to save ourselves from a painful emotional situation. Every day we are fired upon by the media, which puts forward the promises of happiness through materialistic things. But to enjoy our lives and live peacefully, less is more. When we declutter our lives, happiness comes naturally. Our ancestors were living that way. We have this quality within us; we inherited it from them. There is only the need to evolve this quality and live life according to these high standards. Life is not in extremes; it is in the middle. You just need to find a sweet spot in the middle of how much you can live on and how much you should have.

The current culture of showing off and the sense of competition with others are some of the obstacles on the path. Healthy competition is necessary for growth, but only to an extent. On the other side, "showing it off" impacts people in different ways. Some people perceive it normally, while others may be dissatisfied with how much they have. But if you are determined and clear, you will get the conviction to say no to all those things that are more than necessary. So here I conclude by mentioning that you should avoid too much everywhere. Excess of anything is bad.

.    .    .