Natural Living Is a Choice, Not a Trend
- Madhukar Dama
- 4 days ago
- 8 min read
(A Simple Truth for Children, Elders, Farmers, Workers, Mothers, Fathers, and You)
INTRODUCTION:
Nature is not far away.
Nature is your body.
Nature is your hunger, your sleep, your breath, your sweat.
But we don’t listen to nature anymore.
We listen to the clock.
We listen to the phone.
We listen to fear.
We listen to others.
We say we want a simple, natural life.
But we live a tired, rushed, plastic life.
Let’s see how.
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1. IF THE ROAD BURNS YOUR FEET, IT MEANS: STOP.
When you walk barefoot and your feet burn, your body is shouting:
“It’s too hot! Sit under a tree! Drink some water!”
But what do we do?
We wear shoes and keep walking.
We don’t stop. We don’t rest.
We say, “I must finish work.”
We forget the body.
Even children are not allowed to rest.
“Finish homework first!”
Even when they’re sleepy.
We became machines.
---
2. FEELING SLEEPY AFTER EATING MEANS: REST.
Even a cow lies down after a full meal.
A cat curls up. A baby falls asleep.
But we?
We drink tea.
We open the laptop.
We go for a drive.
We say, “Work is more important than rest.”
Then we fall sick slowly.
Body stops trusting us.
---
3. RAIN SAYS: SLOW DOWN. NOT HURRY MORE.
When it rained in olden days,
Farmers sat inside the shed.
Women sat on the floor and made pickles.
Children looked at frogs jumping.
Now?
We rush for meetings.
Complain about wet shoes.
Use apps to check traffic.
We forgot that rain is a blessing.
Not a problem.
---
4. IF YOU’RE HUNGRY, EAT. IF YOU’RE NOT, DON’T.
Your stomach is not a timetable.
It is not a school bell.
In olden days, people ate when they were hungry.
They skipped meals when not.
They fasted on Ekadashi or Amavasya.
Now?
We eat because it’s "lunch break."
Because the ad looked tasty.
Because we feel bored or sad.
Even if we just had snacks.
Then we wonder why the stomach hurts.
---
5. WHEN YOU’RE SICK, IT’S TIME TO DO NOTHING.
Fever means the body is cleaning itself.
Loose motion means something bad has come in and must go out.
Vomiting means stop eating now.
But what do we do?
We eat tablets to shut the signal.
We rush to office.
We feed children more food.
Then we blame the weather.
---
6. NATURAL LIFE MEANS EVEN POO SHOULD BE FREE.
Your body tells you:
“I need to go toilet now.”
But you say:
“Wait, not now. I’m in a meeting.”
“Let me finish watching this video.”
Or worse — you sit in toilet, but scroll phone.
In old days, people squatted on soil,
Felt the wind, wiped with leaves,
Washed and went to field.
Now?
We sit on chairs.
Eat junk.
Get piles.
Then take medicines.
Natural life is not just about food.
It’s about flow.
---
7. IF YOU’RE COLD, SLOW DOWN. COVER UP.
Nature made winter for resting.
Not for fitness competitions.
Our thathas used to sit in sun.
Ajjis made warm rasam.
We bathed later. Slept early. Woke up slow.
Now?
People go jogging at 5am in January.
Drink cold juices.
Shiver and say, “Body is strong now.”
But strength is not proving.
Strength is knowing when to stop.
---
8. PREGNANCY IS NOT A PROJECT. IT IS A PAUSE.
Nature says:
“Now you are growing another life. Slow down.”
But today:
Women have hundreds of tests,
Tight clothes, gender reveals, 10 photo shoots,
Hospital bags, baby shopping, name lists, sleep anxiety.
Even before baby comes, peace is gone.
Natural pregnancy means silence.
Slowness. Simple food. Singing. Smiling. Praying. Resting. Walking slowly.
Not reading ten blogs every night.
---
9. CHILDREN WHO EAT MUD DON’T NEED MULTIVITAMINS.
Do you know?
Eating a little mud builds strong guts.
Playing in dust builds strong lungs.
Falling and crying builds strong minds.
But now:
Children wear socks at home.
Gloves at birthday parties.
Play only with plastic.
Drink colourful syrups for “immunity.”
Then fall sick every month.
This is not parenting.
This is poisoning in fear.
---
10. OLD PEOPLE HAD WISDOM, NOT WASTE.
Natural living means respecting the slowest person in the house.
Grandfather. Grandmother.
They knew when to sow seeds.
When to rest.
What leaf to eat for stomach pain.
When to light the lamp.
When to sit quiet.
Now?
We ignore them.
Give them a TV.
Call them “old-fashioned.”
We forget—natural life dies when we forget who lived it.
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11. NATURE IS ALSO IN EMOTIONS
Animals cry when hurt.
Trees drop leaves when weak.
Sky becomes dark when sad.
But humans?
We hide emotions.
Smile when hurting.
Laugh for photos.
Drink when sad.
Suppress anger.
Ignore love.
Natural life means:
Feel. And be okay to feel.
---
12. ANIMALS KNOW NATURE BETTER THAN US
Birds stop flying before a storm.
Ants run fast before rain.
Dogs stop eating when they fall sick.
Buffaloes sit down if rain is near.
Cows eat one herb every week to clean their stomach.
But humans go to Google, then panic.
We knew once. We forgot now.
---
13. DEATH WAS NATURAL TOO
Earlier, people died at home.
In peace. With oil lamps. With family nearby.
Now?
They die in tubes, wires, machines, cold hospitals.
Family cries outside.
Natural life means:
We don’t fight death.
We prepare for it.
We hug it softly, when it comes.
---
14. THE SUN WAS OUR ALARM. THE MOON OUR NIGHT-LAMP.
Once upon a time:
We woke up with birds.
Ate with the sun.
Slept with the stars.
Washed clothes by river.
Cooked with fire.
Laughed with people.
Loved without selfies.
Now?
We need a machine to tell us how to live.
---
FINAL WORD:
Natural life is not about escaping to jungle.
It is about listening.
And choosing.
Listening to your body.
Listening to your hunger.
Listening to your feet.
Listening to your breath.
And choosing:
To stop.
To rest.
To eat slow.
To live gentle.
Even one small choice is a return to nature.
---
SUMMARY QUOTE:
“You don’t need to be in nature.
You need to stop fighting it.”
—
HEALING DIALOGUE
TITLE: "NATURE IS NOT IN THE FOREST — IT’S IN YOUR NEXT DECISION"
A family visits Madhukar the Hermit after reading about natural living. They are troubled — not by lack of knowledge, but by the impossibility of applying it. They want help. Not to escape modern life, but to live more truthfully within it.
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Characters:
Madhukar – The Hermit, living simply in the hills.
Ravi – 45, office manager, tired, bloated, always on screens.
Meena – 41, homemaker, anxious, always cleaning, managing, scheduling.
Tanu – 15, their daughter, wears glasses, dry skin, addicted to reels.
Ajji – 78, Ravi’s mother, quiet, speaks little, heartbroken by modern life.
---
Scene:
The family is sitting cross-legged in Madhukar’s mud house. Smoke from a slow-burning fire drifts gently. No fan. No noise. Just silence, birds, and presence.
---
Ravi:
We read your article. It hit us hard.
But... I have a job. Timings. Targets.
How do I stop when my feet burn?
The road doesn’t wait.
Madhukar (smiling):
Then don’t stop walking.
But at least stop pretending you can’t feel the burn.
---
Meena:
I plan everything—meals, cleaning, my daughter's study.
If I wait for natural hunger, we’ll skip meals.
If I rest when I’m tired, nothing will get done.
How to live naturally in this rush?
Madhukar:
You cannot follow nature completely in an unnatural world.
But you can stop fighting your body.
You can choose simpler food.
You can sit while cooking.
You can say no to unnecessary plans.
You don’t need to live perfectly.
You need to live more honestly.
---
Tanu:
Ajja used to say, “Sleep early.” But I can’t.
School starts early. Homework ends late.
My eyes hurt. My hair falls. But I have to keep going.
Madhukar (gently):
Your body is not your enemy, Tanu.
It’s your friend who is begging for help.
You can’t stop school.
But you can stop scrolling till midnight.
You can go barefoot once a day.
You can feel the wind instead of air conditioning.
That is also natural living.
---
Ajji (in a soft, trembling voice):
Nobody wants to listen to me anymore.
I used to keep tulsi for cough.
Now everything is from a bottle.
Even prayers are on phone apps.
Madhukar (folds hands):
Ajji, your life is the last bridge.
Between real and fake.
Don’t be silent.
Tell them what leaves to chew.
Show them how to rest.
Sing them old lullabies.
Even one child will listen.
That’s enough.
---
Ravi:
But what’s the use of knowing this if we still go back to the same life?
Madhukar:
Every step you take after knowing...
Is no longer blind.
Even if your job is fake,
Your lunch can be real.
Even if the road is tar,
Your feet can touch grass once a day.
Even if you live in a flat,
Your eyes can find the sky.
You don’t need to go back 100 years.
You need to return to your senses.
---
Meena:
So you're saying it’s not about going backwards.
But going inward.
Madhukar:
Yes.
Natural living is not in the forest.
It’s in your next decision.
Wash your hands with mud once a week.
Let your child sit in the sun without sunscreen.
Don’t eat if you’re not hungry.
Don’t smile if your heart is tired.
Sleep when your head falls, not when the clock says so.
Small decisions.
That’s all.
That’s everything.
---
Tanu:
Will that make me healthy?
Madhukar (smiling):
No.
It will make you real.
And nature takes care of the real.
---
Ajji (smiles for the first time):
Can I teach Tanu how to grind chutney on stone?
Tanu:
Only if you let me film it for a reel!
(Everyone laughs softly)
---
CONCLUSION (Madhukar's voice):
You don’t need to change the world.
You just need to stop lying to yourself.
Natural life is not a return to caves.
It is a return to honesty.
—
WE NEVER LIVED NATURALLY, WE JUST DIED UNNATURALLY
they said
go back to nature,
as if it were a resort
with a discount coupon
and a yoga mat.
but I tell you—
nature never left.
you did.
you walked out in rubber soles,
sat in chairs with cushions,
ate food that didn't rot
and called it comfort.
you wiped your ass with toilet paper
that smelled like flowers
but killed forests.
you sprayed lemon breeze in the toilet
because real shit offends you.
---
you buy “organic” in packets
but wear clothes that don’t breathe.
you talk of fasting
while chewing sugar-free gum.
you don’t eat when hungry,
you eat when you’re bored,
or angry,
or just scrolling.
you smell like perfume,
but you never smell the soil.
---
once,
a dog stopped eating for 3 days
because he knew how to heal.
you,
you pop pills for a headache
caused by fluorescent lights
and fake smiles.
---
your kid wears sunscreen in winter,
socks in summer,
mask on terrace,
and screen in bed.
then you cry
because they have no immunity.
your tears are real.
but your actions are plastic.
---
your wife says
she wants a “natural birth”
but books a luxury suite
with an epidural and a playlist.
your grandfather died
in silence,
on a coir mat,
with a lamp burning.
your father died
hooked to machines
and debt.
you will die
scrolling through offers
for aloe-vera anti-aging cream.
---
you think nature is cruel
because she doesn’t take appointments.
she tells you to sleep,
but you answer emails.
she tells you to cry,
but you post a selfie.
she tells you to stop walking—
your feet are burning—
but you put on shoes and
walk faster.
---
you don’t need to go to a forest.
you need to remove
what you’re wearing on your soul.
your intelligence is a jacket
in summer.
your ambition is a fever
without a cause.
you call yourself “progressive.”
but even frogs know
when to be still.
---
you were not meant to be healthy
in this world.
you were meant to obey
your breath,
your gut,
your instinct.
you lost it
the day you downloaded
an app to tell you
how much water to drink.
---
now you need
a retreat
to hear birds.
a class
to sit still.
a watch
to tell you to walk.
a therapist
to tell you to cry.
a blender
to chew your food.
---
I say—
there’s no going back.
but maybe,
you can stay right here
and do one real thing.
sleep.
touch grass.
throw your vitamin pills.
hug your ajji.
eat with your hands.
feel your own damn hunger.
---
that’s nature.
not green smoothies.
not Himalayan salt.
not a 5-day gut detox.
just your tired body
doing what it already knows.
let it.
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