I was born and raised in China.
Back then it was a third world country. We had:
No running tap water,
but a sweet tasting well;
No electricity,
but candles and moonlight;
No natural gas,
but nature’s leaves and branches;
No ensuite toilet,
but a smelly outhouse;
No swimming pools,
but ponds and lakes;
No mass-produced clothing,
but hand-made knitting;
No caged eggs,
but free-range chickens;
No hormone injected meat,
but home-raised animals;
No modern pharmaceutical medicine,
but traditional herbal remedies;
No cars,
but bicycles and legs;
No industry,
but green fields;
No high rises,
but open spaces;
No pollution,
but clean air and blue sky;
No TVs,
but outdoor play;
No phones,
but hand-written letters;
No social media,
but talking face-to-face;
No money,
but enough to live, laugh and love…
People were poor,
and unhappy.
Now it’s all developed, built and industrialised.
People are rich but still unhappy.
What have we given up for development,
I wonder if we are worse or better off?
– Zhen EX
BLISS RITUALS 