The Simple Life (Really?)

http://fanart.tv/artist/dcb03ce3-67a5-4eb3-b2d1-2a12d93a38f3/king-bb/

Today I was just talking to my bf over lunch, and he was telling me how he loved B. B. King, the King of Blues. He told me what made that guy the best was not so much about technique, but more on the feel; he could just play one note and knock down everyone. 

That reminded me of the topic I was thinking about since some time ago. When I was learning oil painting, I had told my teacher that I wanted to focus on abstract painting, and that the last thing I wanted to do was to paint an object just like the way it looked. To me, drawing something that looked exactly like a real object carried no meaning. Instead, I wanted to use painting as the channel of self-expression. So I asked her if I could skip the tedious process of learning how to draw 'well'. However, the teacher disagreed with me that the greatest abstract painters ever alive started from the basics, too, and that even when it comes to mere self-expression, you have to go through the journey of being able to draw 'well'. Only after being able to do that, you can truly draw without being bogged down by the technique. I kinda understood what she meant without exactly knowing the logic. I kinda let the thought sip in. 

After that, I encountered other examples, such as the best pasta being the one with the least ingredients, and a true Karate master transcending all kinds of form. 

These led me to wondering if the ultimate answer (of life even) was 'simplicity'.

Was simplicity the answer that was waiting at the end of the journey of our life? The first thing that came to my mind was the Buddhist monks, whose job, among others, was to meditate; just simply sitting there and thinking of nothing. Next, I thought about those people who threw away all their worldly possessions, positions and what not, and retracted from society to go back to the woods, of self-sufficient simple life, reducing material desires to mere survival needs.

http://www.fanpop.com/clubs/the-simple-life/images/214821/title/simple-life-wallpaper

I don't know whether this is true, (and I may never) but if it was, the only thing I know is that I haven't got there yet. For me to abandon all the extra accessories that brighten up my life (occasional luxurious food, foot reflexology, pretty bags, etc.) is still a far away land story. However, I will not force myself to be anyone else. I will just let this journey last until the end, since it is inevitable to get to the end without going through it, where I will finally find a peace of mind from simple life.