361. The Simple Life

When we see life clearly, we understand that it is very simple. But there are two obstacles that stand in the way of seeing clearly: our tendency to be distracted by the details and the difficulty of seeing the whole picture.

We see so much complexity in the world around us that we naturally begin to think our lives must also be complicated. We identify particular problems that plague us and we narrow our attention in an attempt to solve them. We believe that by solving all of these little problems, we will eventually arrive at a better life. We can imagine this better life and we desperately want to get there. But we are easily distracted because we become attached not only to our desires and aversions but also to the vast network of beliefs that allow us to be functional members of our society.

If we saw how our attachments produce enormous suffering for ourselves and others, then we would never allow this to happen. But seeing this is far from easy. It is not as simple as understanding a few things about how attachment and suffering work in general terms. We have to see how our attachments operate in our own experience and how our reactions to the suffering attachment produces cause our problems and our suffering to multiply.

When we can see these things clearly in every moment of experience, all of the complexity of life washes away. Liberation from attachment means that our attention is now free, which means we can see what is truly needed and necessary for the first time. To act from compassion is to do what is needed and necessary, not just for ourselves but for all of the others that we now understand are part of us.

When all of our actions originate in compassion, life is incredibly simple and straightforward. We do what is most needed and necessary in this and every moment, and by doing so, we create joy for ourselves and the people around us.