The grand Cosmic Joke

My wife and I have been talking a lot about simplifying—paring down, letting go, and making space. Part of it is the sheer overwhelm of maintaining a home: the upkeep, the endless projects, the constant to-do list that never really ends.

We live in a world that equates worth with accumulation, where success is measured by how much more we can acquire. But the irony is that this “more” is often dysregulating to the nervous system. More money, (more possessions), more problems, as the saying goes.

And then there’s the deeper confrontation: the cost of our consumption. What does it mean for the world? For other human beings? The very device you’re reading this on was likely built under conditions bordering on modern-day slavery—from the miners extracting rare earth minerals in Africa to the factory workers assembling it in China.

If you allow yourself to truly feel that reality, it’s heavy. It’s dark. Sometimes I wonder if this is what Hell really is—a world where, by simply existing, we are complicit in the suffering of others.

And yet, despite all of this, I remain deeply optimistic. I am in awe of the human spirit, in love with the human experience. Life feels like the most perfectly designed game—one that invites us, moment by moment, to choose how we play. The grand Cosmic Joke, unfolding before us.

So what will we choose? Will we simplify so that others might simply live? Or will we continue, unconsciously following the program, perpetuating suffering not only in the world but also within ourselves?

Either path will lead you closer to confronting who you truly are. And both are beautiful.