A Transition After Storm: Hoping for A Journey Back to Simplicity and Right Living

First, a life update. I relocated from the city that I had stayed at for 4 years of my peak life due to job change. I moved from Chicago to Philadelphia this week, hopefully for better. For me to stay in US for 4 long years in one place, many things need to work and fall in place in line with my strengths. There need to be good project teams, there need to be good households, there need to be good neighborhoods, there need to be good work to live fruitfully, there need to be good places to visit, there need to be great cities, there need to be good places of worship, there need to be good Indian diaspora among other things. Because most of these necessities are checked, I could sustain and survive in a foreign land for as long as in Chicago. I could never recreate this setup anywhere else in world other than in motherland. Period. It might be my bad fortune to move away from this heaven on earth. But I decided to move on instead of sticking there and looking for a job in one location. This is due to the fact that we need to live as detached as possible and never own one place when you belong to a much larger world. Living in quite a number of locations does more good than not. Though uncomfortable, I am inclined more towards a wandering monk, who visits and stays in many places and never attaches to one place or a set of people. Though never replacing a city like Chicago and the setting, I hope the new location also plays out well for me, in providing a great environment for the good of everyone involved. 

Among many things which went well, I got into good households in Chicago. The toughest part for me in the transition to a new city is leaving the house in old location and finding another one in new location. Vacating the house has been a big task as the household gave me strength to sustain for so long away from home. I stayed with a house owner upon arriving in Naperville in 2022 and this act got me living for the next four years. After staying with the same owner for 1 year 8 months, I moved to another house through the acquaintance I made in old house. In essence, the owner grouped us together in the foreign land without knowing anyone else, which made me work from home for 4 years. The sad part is there are two house fires – one while I am staying in Jan 2023 and another to a house more recently a month back, after I moved from it two years back. I don’t know what is the reason and who is responsible. I can’t tell of many other ill happenings I faced. But such are the extreme risks undertaken and the dangerous lengths I had travelled under water to keep a pleasant posture to the good of outside world. I know the pains the housemates had taken in their roles, living in US and working for US doing extreme shifts from 7 AM to 11 PM. I get tears in my eyes looking at the work undertaken by youngsters and work went in the household. To tell about the difficulty in living with me having while having huge impact to the outside world, one youngster working in part time and who became close to me, suggested me to choose VW Jetta as my new car since it is a good car. I went ahead and booked the same car. I don’t even fully fathom what kind of impact it had ever since, on the larger world, based on the word of advice from the close quarter. It is just an example and this is every day ritual in the home, while I work upon wonderful and amazing things from the home as a base, much to the wonder of everyone else. The home just elevated and put me in a different orbit altogether which I am afraid cannot be recreated once again. This is not something I can be proud of while crossing all lines of safety. I very much prefer de-escalation and safety rather than living along the same lines. Hopefully, the change in location is a good step in that direction. One question I would like to ask – Can anyone opt to live such a life while everyone watched me from the boundary all along ? Can your households become a source of such a life ? 

I frequently sob looking at my wretched life of recent past. No one should lead such a life and I repeat not even the worst enemy. And no one while it is out there in the open in front of everyone’s eyes. I know the dangers I faced, scams I endured, tears lost while feeling helpless about my situation. You know the credential I earned out of this wretched living – the comment behind my back saying everyone knows ‘how’ I live, everyone knows ‘how’ I operate, everyone knows what kind of a person I am. These are the wretched track records I earned and how can I carry these badges with me in my onward journey. These are permanently etched in my resume and I don’t know how to undo. It is a great self-pity driving me to lose my own self. For example, it is a kidney test everyday and a strain on it, while operating without having anything. I begged for compensation. Nothing arrived till date. Did anyone chose to differ. Hardly anyone really wishes me good and without taking advantage of me. The toughest part I am playing is I am still going through my routines inspite of this deep pain. I am not giving up on my length or service to one and all and the routines to inspire one and all while keeping myself green, despite a volcano of grief. 

While I am facing these problems, an opportunity came knocking my door. Despite me opting to continue in Chicago, I need to relocate due to the job – which is why I am in U.S. in first place. I would like to make amends, erase my past and become optimistic as I step into my new job in a new location. One of the biggest changes is, I would like to be a small IT employee and not act like president of US. Hardly anyone acts like that and even I don’t want that role. I am very much required to work as a Software Quality Engineer in the job and I would like to be limited to that role. As I feel, after all that has happened, living in my own limits does everyone good. If I am confined just to my 8 to 5 job minus everything extra, while looking for my personal good, it does everyone a world of good. It is not time to create and make a huge impact but to de-escalate and live small, giving a good example. I might be wrong but hopefully, a best change comes out leading to best outcome in the new tenure in safest way. Otherwise, God may not give me another opportunity. I ask for one and all to wish me good as I begin this new journey. 

While I worked for greater good in the recent past, I did myself no good – leading to a case of sad sacrifice. The greater good should never stop. But I believe if a lead is on correct path, everyone else will also be attracted to righteous path. Here I give examples of such great Presidents who lived ordinary and exemplary lives, post holding powerful positions, never clinging on to power forever. They became great role models for this pursuit and not for remaining powerful. There is something deeply compelling about those rare individuals who rise to the highest office in a nation and yet, after holding immense power, choose to return to a life of simplicity. In a world where authority often leads to greater accumulation—of wealth, influence, and status—such figures stand apart. They remind us that leadership, at its best, is not about possession but about service, and that true greatness is revealed not only in how one rises, but in how one steps away. Among modern leaders, a few remarkable examples illustrate this quiet dignity: José Mujica of Uruguay, Jimmy Carter of the United States, and Nelson Mandela of South Africa. 

José Mujica’s life is perhaps the most striking embodiment of simplicity after power. Serving as president from 2010 to 2015, he was already known during his tenure as “the world’s poorest president,” a title he seemed to wear with quiet indifference. Unlike most heads of state, Mujica did not reside in a grand presidential palace but chose to live in his modest farmhouse on the outskirts of Montevideo. After leaving office, he did not transition into lucrative speaking circuits or elite advisory roles. Instead, he returned fully to what could be considered an ordinary life—working on his small plot of land, cultivating flowers alongside his wife, and continuing to drive his old Volkswagen Beetle. This was not a symbolic gesture staged for admiration; it was a genuine continuation of a life he had always valued. His daily routine, grounded in agriculture and simplicity, reflected a deep philosophical stance: that happiness lies not in accumulation but in freedom from excess. In many ways, Mujica blurred the line between a former president and an ordinary farmer, showing that one can hold the highest office and yet remain untouched by its temptations. 

A different yet equally meaningful example is found in Jimmy Carter, who served as president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. After leaving the White House, Carter returned to his hometown of Plains, Georgia, choosing not to immerse himself in the wealth and prestige that often follow American presidents. Instead, he embraced a life that, while still influential, was grounded in humility and hands-on service. Carter became widely known for his work with Habitat for Humanity, where he physically helped build homes for those in need. It was not uncommon to see a former president wielding tools, working alongside volunteers, and engaging directly in manual labor. In addition, he taught Sunday school at his local church for decades, maintaining a consistent connection with his community. Though he remained intellectually active—writing books and engaging in diplomacy—his daily life was marked by simplicity, discipline, and service. Carter’s example shows that one need not abandon purpose to live modestly; rather, purpose itself can become more authentic when stripped of grandeur. 

Nelson Mandela presents a slightly different, yet equally profound, expression of this principle. Serving as president of South Africa from 1994 to 1999, Mandela emerged as a global symbol of resilience and reconciliation after decades of imprisonment. What distinguishes him is not a transition into an “ordinary job” in the conventional sense, but his conscious decision to step down after a single term, despite widespread admiration and the potential to retain power. In a political landscape where leaders often cling to authority, Mandela’s choice signaled a deep commitment to democratic principles over personal ambition. After leaving office, he did not seek to dominate the political stage but instead focused on humanitarian efforts through the Nelson Mandela Foundation. His work centered on peace-building, education, and addressing critical social issues such as HIV/AIDS. While his global stature remained immense, his personal demeanor was marked by humility and restraint. He carried himself not as a ruler, but as a servant of the people, demonstrating that stepping away from power can itself be an act of leadership. 

What unites these three figures is not merely what they did after their presidencies, but the spirit with which they did it. In different ways, each rejected the idea that power must be extended or capitalized upon. Mujica returned to the soil, embodying simplicity in its most literal form. Carter turned to service, engaging in work that directly benefited others without concern for status. Mandela chose restraint, relinquishing authority and dedicating himself to healing and unity. None of them sought to elevate themselves above ordinary life; instead, they moved closer to it. 

Their lives challenge a deeply ingrained assumption—that success must lead to greater privilege. Instead, they suggest an alternative vision: that the highest form of success may be the ability to live simply, to serve sincerely, and to let go gracefully. In this sense, their post-presidential journeys are not declines from greatness, but continuations of it in a quieter, more enduring form. They remind us that titles are temporary, but character is lasting, and that the measure of a leader is not only how they govern, but how they live when the power is gone. Hoping for a transition to ordinary life as another software employee will prolong the stability and duration in new job. As I step into this new chapter, leaving behind both the weight of the past and the illusions of grandeur, I choose a quieter path—one of simplicity, dignity, and honest work—trusting that in living small, steady, and sincere, I will finally find the stability, safety, and grace that truly sustain a life.