Growth
In this autoethnography, I often emphasise reduction. Fewer possessions, less travelling, less stuff in my space. Recently I've been thinking a lot about it. Despite this emphasis on reduction, at the heart of this mode of being is growth. As I am living a voluntarily simple life, I notice these areas of growth:
Spiritual growth. I often feel oneness with nature and the cosmos. I experience self-transcending emotions such as awe, wonder, gratitude, love. I feel that it's easier to put everything into perspective, especially events that are not, in the end of the day, so important, but that might seem important. For example, resigning from work, receiving rude comments from fellow humans.
Professional growth. Here I do not mean my career but my work as a researcher.
Clarity. I can see clearly what matters to me and what does not, what I want to retain and what I want to shed.
Freedom. I feel liberated from many influences such as the need to look a certain way or follow a prescribed path in life to seem successful to someone else. I am also liberated in a very simple way, liberated from stuff and thus need to care for many objects. Keeping my home clean is easy and pleasant. Keeping everything in order is meditative.
Meaningful connections. Something that I find painful to watch is when fellow humans build or retain connections based on utilitarianism rather than, for example, genuine interests, common interest, care. Freeing myself from desires to consume and achieve conventional success means that I do not feel any pressure to build connections based on all the wrong reasons. I feel that I can work with the humans I genuinely want to work with.
Empathy. As I am not pursuing conventional success and material possessions, I can pay attention to other things, such as nuances and challenges in my own journey and others' journeys. I strongly feel growth in my empathy towards fellow humans.
Available time. I have more time to be with nature, with myself, fellow humans, the projects I love.