"Enough"

Living in the moment

"The moment we are content, we have enough. Not the other way around"

Around 5 years ago, I bought a book from Borders called "Enough" (by John Naish). To put it simply, I never read it. I don't know why I even bought it, but after GPS, after having been impacted by the mentality of 'enough', the first thing I did was to dig Naish's book up, and now 5 years later, everything in the book suddenly makes perfect sense to me. 

In his book, Naish explores various aspects of 'Enough'. With regard to food, he talks about mealtimes, and the issue of how so many people today gulp down their meals in 10minutes, sometimes eating on the go, because there is never enough time to eat a proper meal and enjoy it properly. This is sadly definitely evident in Singapore. The number of families I have observed sitting at tables during mealtime where all of them are on their smartphones or using other gadgets really saddens and quite honestly disgusts me too. The many times I have seen my friends decide to eat at a fast food chain because they are hungry and it is a quick fix (even though it isn't cheap) and there is not enough time also saddens me. I find this to be a big issue, because it has come to a point where we don't care what we put in our bellies, as long as our bellies are filled. We cannot wait, instant gratification must be granted. I was talking to Ari about this one day, and how a lot of people, especially those living in the city, have no clue where their food comes from, how it is produced, what's inside their food and whether the food they are eating is really food at all. During GPS, have learnt the importance of savouring the food I eat, and savouring the company as well. Instead of eating while sitting in front of a computer, the food tastes much better if you are in the moment are focus on the food you are eating. 

Another aspect of Enough that Naish talked about was the issue of 'not enough stuff', again the issue of consumerism that I brought up in the previous post. I've learnt that it really isn't necessary to buy so much stuff. In our lives, it is a very common problem where, is something is broken or torn, that we automatically resort to buying a new product, which isn't necessary.This mentality doesn't encourage a sense of creativity and independence - if something is broken, why don't we try to think of ways to fix it? 

"Our creative bent has largely been subsumed by consumer society"

(pg 104)

I've learnt the value of making the most and making do with what you already have, and to treasure and be grateful for it. During GPS, during our stay at Cabin 2, it was really going back to the basics, a roof over our heads, a bathroom and a toilet, and food prepared for us by the ibu-ibu, which is all we actually need. I couldn't have asked for better company, what with our very musical GPS group and our musical Sumatran friends, or for better conversations, during our open GPS sharings and our interactions with Team Restorasi. I've learnt and experienced for myself what is truly valuable, and that it can only be recognised as being valuable when you are aware and living in the moment. 

"Look to this day 

For it is life, the very life of life

For yesterday is already a dream, and tomorrow is only a vision

But today, well lived, makes every yesterday a dream of contentment,

and every tomorrow a vision of hope" 

(Sanskrit Poem)

Jason Mraz, "Living in the Moment"