Life and Life-Style….

We are frequently faced with the question “What is this life?” To understand this question we need to first distinguish between Life and ‘Life - style’. There is an overlap that we find between the two. Most of the time we think that life style and life are the same, when they are not! Life-style is associated with the external while Life is associated with the internal, which is within oneself.

We often are in the quest of looking to make our lives happy, and seek external sources to quench our thirst, in wanting to make life happy we seek from our material surroundings. We think we will be happy when we have a secure job, we will be comfortable when we have a shelter above our head. When we achieve that we are not satisfied and we look for enhancing what we have got, thinking that “this will make us happy”. We look for promotions within the job are it in position or monetary increment and we look to renovate our houses thinking the extra room or a better kitchen is what we need. Thus this spiral of wanting more which we conveniently term need leads to greed, while all the time we are still in search of that elusive happiness, which we seek within. Thus we need to understand that what we think will make us happy in life is actually our ‘Life-style’ which only provides a temporary illusion of happiness till we start wanting more.

Life on the other hand requires one to go within and live in the moment, in complete faith that one will be provided for without wanting or asking, it prompts one to learn that happiness is not a destination that we seek but the stations that you get along the path of life, being present in the moment and appreciating the thoughts in the present thereby freeing us from the thoughts of the past or the future, which leave us wanting for more.

Life teaches simplicity which no longer is a convention but an invention! ‘Life-style’ is getting caught in the outer noise! While Life is listening to the inner voice. ‘Life-style’ recognizes the one who has the most, while life supports one who needs the least.
Looking outside we dream, looking within we awaken, looking outside we analyze, looking inside we realize. We need to understand that the eyes offer sight while the heart offers insight.

The next time that you are faced with the question “What is this life”? Distinguish between ‘life – style’ and ‘life’ before looking for the answer, and seek answers from within rather than from the outside