Life Lessons From the Unwashed (How To Live A Simpler Life)

“Manifest plainness, embrace simplicity.  Reduce selfishness, have few desires.”  –Lao Tzu

In my quest to travel around and experience as much as I can, I meet a fantastic variety of people– from fellow adventurers to felons and gang members, from homeless drifters to wealthy business tycoons.  Every one of them has a story to tell, and every story is told through the lens of a unique perspective, saturated in distinct ideas about life and the world that are colored with experiences and personality that no one else will ever have.

I love meeting and talking to everyone, because each new individual worldview helps shape my own.  You see, I believe that well-rounded wisdom is gained not just by seeking it out with personal reading and learning, but also by unearthing it from the stories and experiences of others, by revealing it through meditation and/or other spiritually-focused practices, and especially by creating it via the ancient practice of getting your ass out into the unfamiliar and experiencing what life has to teach you firsthand.

“Experience, travel– these are as education in themselves.”  –Euripides

That in mind, I spent last weekend at the campgrounds of the Texas Renaissance Festival, the largest theme park of its kind in the nation.  The TexRenFest is an 8-weekend-long authentic recreation of 16th century Britain complete with hundreds of costumed vendors and performers.  It’s a one-of-a-kind experience, but the real attraction for many is the weekend-long camping on the grounds next door.

The most succinct way to describe the campgrounds experience (am I saying that word a lot?) is as a miniature version of the Burning Man– an outdoor collection of groups and individuals from all walks of life forming an extremely amicable community built on self-expression and self-reliance, with a reputation for participatory drug use and clothing-optionality.

Needless to say, it was pretty crazy.

It was here I met one particular group of very interesting people (how could you not at a mini Burning Man?)– self-described hippies, no less.  It was their friendly demeanor and approachability that made my friends and me introduce ourselves to them, their high level of energy and openness that made us continue to enjoy their company, and their incredible kindness and overall attitude toward life that made us combine our camps into one massive 3-day party and even form friendships that broke beyond the bonds of the festival and spilled into the outside world.

The Hippie Difference

What stood out to me most was the simplicity and carefree temperament that seemed to permeate every aspect of their lives, a go-with-the-flow mindset that contrasted sharply with the stressed out state of mind so common in our over-the-counter culture.   The joys of life seemed so accessible to them, while the problems of life seemed to roll off their shoulders, sliding out of sight and mind as quickly as they arose.

I envied the way they fully embraced life in the moment, taking all things as they came.  Even though I am able to live and travel without a job, a daily routine, or any extrinsically imposed responsibilities, I’m still under the weight of the responsibilities I daily impose upon myself– the incessant pursuit of knowledge and self-improvement through constant reading, self-examination, meditation, and many other means.

I want to accomplish big things in my life, to go and do and see all the grand things the world has out there in store for me, and such big aspirations require hard work, constant motivation, and focus.  Even though the entirety of the weight on my shoulders was placed there consciously and intentionally by myself alone, it is still a burden to carry, and being in the presence of those who know no such burden was a beautiful and uplifting experience.

I consider myself one of the freest people I know, but these guys take it to a whole new level.  And because of that, I set myself to observing, to asking questions, to interacting and getting to know a little about who they are and how they are able to live the way they do.

How to be more hippie-esque

These ideas are a perception, a way of looking at the world, and if nothing else are worthy of consideration for the change of scenery alone.  Our attitude and mindset form the lens with which we can see the world around us, and adjusting that lens to broaden your horizons is the easiest way to get the most out of life.

Plus it allows you to experience being a hippie without having to make a tie-dye shirt.

Be of the mindset that you get back what you put out into the world.  This idea– whether you know it by the name of karma, the Law of Attraction, the Golden Rule, or whatever– is critical to your interactions with your environment and with your integrity in general.  It’s the old adage about reaping what you sow, and it really can play a significant role in how your environment interacts back with you.  So be honest, live well, and do what’s right, because there’s no such thing as action without consequence.

Remember that nothing, absolutely nothing, is permanent.  All your possessions, all your relationships, everything you have and hold dear– all of it is changing, fleeting.  This is a good thing, and reminding yourself of this frees you from reliance on possessions or people.  “It is preoccupation with possession, more than anything else, that prevents men from living freely and nobly”  -Bertrand Russell.  Accept the fluid nature of all things, and let that inspire you to appreciate everything you are privileged to have and everyone you are privileged to know that much more.

Embrace the fact that you have no control over some things, and let that be a source of peace and reassurance for you, rather than a source of constant stress and aggravation as you try to ignore this idea and frantically try to maintain control.  Life, if anything at all, is unpredictable and uncontrollable.  Work hard, do the best you can, and enjoy the journey.

Finally, love the people in your life as best you can.  Base your relationships with everyone on affection, compassion, and mutual respect as human beings.  Be aware of how much these people mean to you, and make sure they know it.  Love, as they say, is what makes the world go ’round.

From all things, all people, all places, a lesson can be learned.

You don’t have to see eye-to-eye with people on everything to learn something from them.  All life is a constant learning experience, if we live with our eyes and hearts and minds open.

For better or worse, we’re all here, all suffering from the human condition as each of us simply tries to live our lives the way we think is best.  At the basic human level where distinctions between people break down, we are all the same, each of us aspires to happiness and each of us does not wish to suffer; this is our most fundamental reality.  Remember it, and open yourself up to people and experiences.

You never know what you could learn from them.