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Mountain Ancestors Grove, ADF

A Year of Contemplation

Your Actual Needs are Small (Day 272)

9/29/2019

 
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Image by Myriam Zilles from Pixabay

As we get older and grow accustomed to the finer things, richer meals, bigger homes, savings, etc. etc. etc., we can forget how strong and clever we used to be before we had access resources we have now.

What would we do if, like my grandparents, we had to seriously ration things, or really go without, or work in factories for the war effort? What would we do if we suddenly were brought low, having few if any of our now normalized comforts?

I’d hazard a guess and say that we’d (me too) lose our shit for a little while as we recalibrated. We’d whine about how things used to be and mourn the past. We’d continue to live as if the things we grew used to are actually things we NEED.

When we have sight of what we really need, of what really matters, we see how many of the things we’ve come to define as needs are actually desires. They’re nice to have, but we wouldn’t die without them. Things might be… less comfortable, but when we live life focusing on what actually matters, we can thrive with very little.

Futon, ramen, eggs, and a few changes of clothes. Ah, yes… I remember when I first moved out of my parents' home, I was so happy to be on my own that I didn’t care that my surroundings were utterly Spartan. I knew what I actually needed to live.

Hurricane Katrina helped to hit my “reset” button when all my ancestral goods, images, lands, and relics were washed away. What did I actually need? Very little, since here I am today.

Homelessness after college graduation helped, once again, reframe my outlook on life to show me the difference between what I truly needed and what I surrounded myself with to create an identity.

Once we redefine our relationship with want and need, we can travel down liberation’s road with a bit more clarity.

(See y’all tomorrow)

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    About the Blog

    Awakening the desire to explore Stoicism, and how it relates to his existing beliefs, Rev. William committed to working through the text, The Daily Stoic, a year-long journey to awaken the Stoic mind. 
    How things are structured can be found in the first post. 

    About the Author

    Born and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana, Rev. William attended Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado where in 2007 he graduated with a degree in Religious Studies, minoring in Psychology. Currently residing in Longmont, CO, he is one of the Priests and founder of Mountain Ancestors Grove.  He spends his time playing mandolin (and some guitar), writing, engaging in LGBTQIA+ advocacy and education, community service, and sharing a larger vision of how a polytheist perspective can lead to greater human understanding, acceptance, and gods be good, peace. 

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