Simplify Life, Return to the Best State of Being

Sept. 14, 2025, 1:38 a.m. Essays

Seventy-two

Author | Jinye

The best state of life starts with simplification.

There is a group of people who gradually cultivate a habit: to simplify their lives. They try to leave cars, electronic products, and fashionable circles, seeking happiness in simple and rustic things, calling it the 'grassroots movement.' They emphasize simplifying their lives, discarding external materialism and pursuing spiritual and mental balance and composure.

However, for most people, on the road to pursuing happiness, they constantly seek outward, using external material possessions to satisfy their inner 'abundance,' but they find that the more they get, the more empty they become, and the more their spirit lacks, because many times what we get may not be a sense of satisfaction, but a burden.

Just like a person when they have something, they always think they are getting is a simple possession, but possession is also a 'being possessed'.

For example, I have Glory, but in another state, Glory controls myself. We are dragged by Glory, eventually becoming slaves to Glory, losing our original meaning and further away from the satisfaction we once pursued.

This is the hint that simplification brings to life.

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Simplifying life is not about abandoning all possessions, nor is it about not valuing the happiness of what we currently have, but rather about trying to leave those unnecessary, empty layers, allowing our attention to find a balance, rather than completely letting external objects control our inner selves.

Do subtraction for thinking.

The best state of life must start with simplification.

As White Yan said, '30 is a turning point in life. Before 30, you must do addition, try many things, see which one is suitable for you, and after 30, you must learn to do subtraction and find your own way.'

Simplifying is also an art and philosophy of life. It can create more space for our hearts, liberate more thinking, simplifying our lives is not to blindly give up, but rather moderate selection and balance, eliminating frivolous trivialities, giving ourselves a clearer and more transparent thinking.

Do subtraction for circles.

Zhou Guofeng said this paragraph: People who are enthusiastic about socializing often think they have many friends, but they know in their hearts that on the social field, the main control is not friendship, but fashion, interests, or boredom.

In life, some people who call themselves having many friends are busy socializing and attending events all day long. They still know in their hearts that those friends are for killing time or generated by cross-connections due to interests or benefits. If there were not these things, few people would know each other.

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A common mistake young people make is to attend various banquets and dinners in a certain period of time, called 'expanding their network.' They are actually just using external forms to fill their inner emptiness and self-doubt. They need external 'connections' to give themselves confidence.

Truly outstanding people know how to 'simplify' their lives, minimizing unnecessary socializing and events, leaving themselves more time to be alone, and living more calmly.

Do subtraction for the past.

We usually do one thing – tidy our room, because we have many things in our room that need to be organized: books, documents, photos, etc. We need to regularly throw away things we don't use. In the process, not only are the items thrown away, but also the memories of the past.

For the past, many things shouldn't stay by our side, we need to often clear them out. If our hearts are full of things, our hearts will be blocked. A person who has lived half his life will experience more and more things, and his heart will inevitably be stained with dust. The original pure heart is also polluted, and the heart is the best place to create garbage. Only by clearing our hearts, erasing the memories we shouldn't retain, can we face a better beginning.

Cleaning the mind is not as simple as daily cleaning, it is filled with inner struggles and efforts, so, come on.

Try to simplify your life, let yourself abandon unnecessary existence, leaving a simple life, you will find that life can be so beautiful.