Let everyone be given the choice to living the life he/she wants to, for following the lifestyle he/she wants.

Let there not be any restrictions on the lifestyle we want to adopt.

Let us make a better society with our choice of lifestyle. :)

THE BALANCE of LIFESTYLE

Previously, I have talked about a lot of different lifestyles from across the world. 

What stands out in all of those ways of life is the way the inhabitants remain content in their own little worlds, comprising mainly of the bare necessities of life. What keeps them going is their humanity and their need to keep each other alive. 

The people on the houseboats in the Dal Lake rest all their trust and faith on the few pieces of log put together, and they spend thier entire life on water, protecting one another.
The tribals in the Indian subcontinent, have their own secluded lifestyle, away from the commotion of city life. They spend their life being with each other, and preserving the heritage of one of  nature's very own settlements.
The Eskimos. They live a life without complaints. Living in extreme temperatures, feeding on animals everyday, just to keep themselves alive, and being content to be there for each other.
The Nomadic communities , similarly, live a life of simplicity and satisfaction.

It is not about having the best lifestyle and the most luxurious life. It is about finding your own piece of satisfaction from the various ways of life offered to us.

Because peace comes through simplicity, and, simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.
Let us carve out a life of peace for ourselves and the future generations.

THE DIFFERENCE

Advancement in life is undeniable. At the end of the day, it is beneficial. 

What makes the difference is this. 

• You create a world with skyscrapers, with urban lifestyles, and,

• You create a world with skyscrapers, with urban lifestyles, and the people, their humanity and simplicity to add color to the world.

This is what the world looks like.

This is what the world should look like.

" Everything should be made as simple as possible,

but not simpler. "

 ~ Albert Einstein

A little into the future.

I'm being haunted by this question, this thought, this epiphany.

We sit at home, make use of all the technology that this urban lifestyle offers, and the only other activity is complaining. Yes, like it or not like it, we always tend to complain. However, that is not what bothers me exactly. What haunts me is the future we are leaving to the future generations.

Just imagine. Just think of what we are passing to the future generations.

They will never have to light the gas burner, all thanks to the induction cooker.
They will be more than content to sit at home and  play on the computer, instead of going out in the open.
They will never care to have a taste of the roadside food that India is famous for.
The trend of keeping contact with loved ones via handwritten letters will be an extinct tradition.

Come to think of it, there are so many more things like these. Yes, we want to pass on the best to the future generations, but gradually, we are creating an artificial world for them, where everything is coated with comfort and luxury.

But! Think of it this way. When there is technological advancement, and we are given the best at any time, why would anyone want to go back to the old conventional methods? Yes, if food is cooked just as well in an induction cooker, why use the gas burner? If you can learn about a person's whereabouts sitting at home, in a matter of 2 minutes, why bother writing a letter and waiting for days to get a reply?

True, it takes a lot of the real spirit away, but as I said before, between work and rest, (even if we follow the conventional definitions of Work and Rest in Physics) rest is the more viable solution.

A CHOICE BETWEEN WORK AND REST IS NO CHOICE AT ALL.

However, if there is one thing I could hope for, it will be that the simplicity of this life is preserved in the future generations. I would rather like the next generations to travel in buses and public transport as much as enjoying the comfort of the cars. Knowing the spirit of India, and in particular my city, Kolkata, is essential. Taking out the natural prospects out of an artificial form of lifestyle is the real deal.  Holding onto the traditional ethics and customs in what will define the future. They need equal freedom to choose the lifestyle they want the most. :)

A TAKE ON THE PRESENT

I came across a few situations about urban lifestyles and people's take on those.


It is what modern urban lifestyle helps you get acquainted with addicted to.

( Do read the picture captions. )







Urban lifestyle has taken up a more self-centric approach to life and everyday doings. It would not be wrong to say there is a gradual change from the concept of 'us' to the concept of 'me'. However, it fits just right in this competitive world, where everyone struggles for existence, the need itself arising from scarcity.















As I have mentioned earlier, urban lifestyle now helps augments the level of comfort, and reduces all forms of physical exercises. Modern technology sees to that. This implies that you work less and get more. All this leads up to what we shall call, a sedentary lifestyle. You know what happens next. :)




















Lastly, I found this. This is a classic piece of work. Perfectly illustrates the current situation now.

Cutting the long story short, we are addicted to this lifestyle, with promising ideas, and a life of comfort. True, this is where the simplicity of the Eskimos or the Tribal communities goes pop out of the window, but this is our only option at present.

The reason is this. For ourselves and more so, for future generations, between comfort and hard work, we can choose only one we are left with not much of a choice. :)

Wanderings of the homeless.

A study of the different lifestyles followed across the world will be left incomplete if I do not talk about the nomadic life in North America. These nomads, or homeless people have the most adventurous lifestyles, that fascinates one too many in today’s advanced world! 

Nomadic tribes have always maintained their existence in America. These native American tribes have a strange way of lifestyle. It just depends on the need to ensure that people cooperated with another, in dangerous conditions of survival, to sustain life in uncomfortable environments. By tradition, they move 6-8 times a year, changing settlements, and staying in portable camps, which are dismantled and set up every time they are on the move! It sure is a tedious job, revolving around a series of hectic activities, but is their only practical means of survival!

Transportation in the nomadic community is carried on mainly by horses, living up to a self sufficient, simple concept of lifestyle.  Even though the nomadic lifestyle was followed years back, there are traces of its existence even today.

The members have well defined roles to carry out! By convention, the men went out to hunt and to fight the wars, while the female members stayed back at home, cooked food and looked after the house. Their idea of leisure revolved around horse racing and shooting contests. However, there seems to be a certain level of spiritual development in the member tribes. Decorations and certain practices often had religious meanings.

The nomadic tribes usually stayed in ‘tipis’, which protected them from the extreme weather and maintained a healthy atmosphere for survival. Their everyday activities are usually concerned with fulfilling the necessities in life. Unlike us, these nomadic tribes have never got a choice to live a different form of lifestyle. This life of ‘being on the move’, has been their only way of life, over the ages. Deprived of such opportunities, the nomadic people have tended to each others’ needs with care and formed a world centered around nature’s eccentricities.

The nomadic tribes have been closest to fighting every facet of nature, be it the rain, storm, or drought. There is one important lesson that pops out as we study these tribes. Living a life, without any complaints, is what all of us desire in a lifetime, but this is a practical example of one such lifestyle. With this ‘come what may’ attitude, the nomadic tribes of Northern America have managed to survive in the most challenging situations, yet live a life of harmony.