So many people today pursue millions of dollars, sports cars, mansions, and designer clothing
because they think that’ll make them happy.
They can’t imagine being happy without luxury—without the newest phone, game consoles, or some other
piece of technology.
They think that if they could get that designer purse or those fresh shoes, then they’d
finally be happy.
But really, it’s /our need/ for luxury that stands in the way of our happiness.
Only by ridding ourselves of /the desire/ for luxuries, by being content with a simple
life, can we find happiness.
And the life of Diogenes, an ancient Greek philosopher, is a testament to this truth.
After being exiled from Sinope, Diogenes moved to Athens to become a philosopher.
And for him, this didn’t mean coming up with complex theories and ideas, but learning
to live well.
It has been said that Diogenes lived in a tub and carried around nothing but a knapsack
and a walking stick.
At one point he had a cup, which he threw away after watching a boy drink water with
his hands, and a bowl, which he got rid of after seeing a boy scoop up food with a piece
of bread.
He begged statues for alms so that he could get used to rejection, and he even walked
barefoot in the winter.
Modelling his life after Heracles, valuing freedom above everything else, he trained
his body and mind to survive only on what was necessary.
And what did Diogenes get out of this philosophical lifestyle?
When someone asked him that exact question, he said “if nothing else, I’m prepared
for whatever happens.”
He had mastered himself.
When Diogenes was put up for sale as a slave, they asked him what he was good at.
He said, “ruling over men.
Spread the word in case anyone wants to buy himself a master.”
Diogenes was purchased by a well-off Corinthian named Xeniades and tasked with mentoring his
sons.
Diogenes taught his sons wisdom, to live ascetically, on plain water and food, with short hair,
on barefeet and without tunics, to keep silent and listen, and to hunt.
Xeniades expressed gratitude and called Diogenes a kind, living god.
It was said that when Alexander the Great finally met Diogenes, he asked Diogenes what
he would like from him: the most powerful man in the world.
Diogenes asked him to move out of the way because he was blocking the sun.
This impressed Alexander who said, “Were I not Alexander, I would be Diogenes!”
And when Diogenes passed away, a bronze-statue was erected in his honour, with an inscription
that read, “Bronze grows old with time, but all eternity, Diogenes, will not erase
your fame; for you alone gave Mortals the lesson of self-reliance and the Easiest path
through life.”
Diogenes disciplined himself through rigorous ascetic training and learned to live life
without any luxuries—physical or psychological.
He learned to live simply, and what was the result?
He mastered himself, became ready for any possibility, and was worshipped as a god among
men.
Diogenes proves to us that happiness is possible without luxury, and in fact, maybe it’s
/our desire/ for luxury that stands in the way of our happiness, wanting new and fancy
things, wanting more and more things that we don’t need.
And it’s not that having nice things is bad, but if you can’t be happy without nice
things, you won’t find happiness with them.
Because if your happiness lies in new and fancy things, that desire will never be satisfied.
Everything new becomes old, and once everything around you becomes old, you’ll start looking
for the new again.
But if you learn to be happy with only what’s necessary, you can /stay/ happy with
the addition of luxury.