SIMPLE LIVING, HIGH THINKING

be fulfilled. Everything other than need is greed. And satisfying greed can give, at best, only temporary pleasure. Islam is a religion of simplicity. A believer should lead a simple life. The Prophet of Islam laid great stress on simplicity. There is a hadith, according to which the Prophet said that simplicity is part of faith. Things of comfort, outings, entertainment opportunities are not to be looked at as ‘allowed and forbidden’ we need to understand them as distractions. And distraction is a giant killer of progress and a major obstacle in one’s development. It is an unwise step. The reason being that when one indulges in these distractions it leads to a waste of time, energy and every other resource. Given that we have very limited resources, we cannot afford to waste them on distractions. Simple living, therefore, is not a mere moral or ethical formula. Rather, it is a key principle for a successful life. It is a safety device from all kinds of distractions. And saving oneself from distractions ensures that time, money and energy is used in a better way to attain success in this world and the next, after death. So, simple living is the only sensible way of living. All other ways of living are simply disastrous. And what is high thinking? High thinking means to think beyond one’s desires, transcending surroundings and immediate attractions. It makes a person wise, and safeguards one from going astray in the jungle of trivialities. People’s minds are generally entangled in trivialities. They don’t think about the serious issues of life and death. Why does this happen? It is because such people fail to develop their minds. Only someone with a developed mind can be safe from getting bogged down in trivialities. When mind is occupied by trivial matters and desires, when time is wasted in amusements like reading useless novels and watching movies, the development of the mind will not take place. This will lead to failure to achieve the purpose for which God has sent human beings into this world. High thinking means to think beyond one's desires, transcending surroundings and immediate attractions. It makes a person wise and safeguards one from going astray in the jungle of trivialities.