Imagine all you possessed could fit in a couple of mid-sized suitcases. How would you feel? Would it make you feel less burdened?
Concepts such as mindfulness, minimalist living, finding your life balance (Japanese Ikigai), and using your full potential etc. are some of the most talked-about subjects in recent years.
The problem is that in a rapidly changing world, most of us have lost the meaning of life. We are pushed towards being modern slaves of work, mortgages (if you can have these) and the demands of ordinary living. Those who don’t have a job, become a welfare slave and that is if you are lucky enough to live in countries where such benefits are available.
According to The New York Times, the top 1 per cent of the population in the United States now own more wealth than the bottom 90 per cent. Is there an issue here? In the UK, whilst big multinational corporations pay very little tax, despite their past wealth many aristocrats can’t now even pay their inheritance tax and some end up either opening their estates to visitors or tea shops etc. to keep their estates going or even decide to sell to avoid the nightmare.
The question is why do property owners have to pay tax just because their parents or relatives left them something? The person who built that wealth has already paid tax on the money used to buy the property. It seems that the rules and laws have been made to get rid of the middle class, to make the average people slaves to work and mortgage payments and gather the riches for few who knows how to manipulate the system (maybe they are the system builders) by ways of family trusts and other schemes.
Enough of gloom and issues. There are new ways to get rid of this situation. If the companies can’t find people to operate, they have to pay more. Due to technological developments, the age of the decentralized workforce and the entrepreneurial population is rising quickly.
You can choose to live in a cheaper, less crowded place and do what you like to make a living. Work for yourself and get back to the basics of life. You are not a racehorse to be constantly racing. Live life at your own speed rather than trying to adjust your speed to the world.
Why not get rid of your unnecessary accumulated belongings such as clothes, furniture and all the junk accumulated over the years but never or seldom used. Doing so releases the mental energy tied to it.
Why am I writing all this? It’s because I went to a cream tea shop (see the picture) and it inspired me. I liked the decoration, the layout of the kitchen, the toilets and the service as well as the delicious scones, cream, and the tea.
Usually, I can see chaos in most catering kitchens (if I can actually see them!), the toilets are crammed, not clean enough and awful to use with awkward taps etc.
This one was different. In a small space, they managed to create a spacious clean environment where one feels relaxed and at ease. Their kitchen was very well organized, plain and there seemed to be no extra clutter.
It reminded me that one can “live pretty” and be at peace. We just need to live by design and not by force of our circumstances.
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