Simple living is something I long to accomplish. I sit here and look around my cluttered house, filled with mostly things I don’t need. I waste money on these items and am just creating unnecessary trash when I throw them away. I do try to recycle and donate whenever possible, but really, I’d rather just have less stuff. I know I eat way too much junk food and spend far too little quality time with my family.
And that is the basis for the simple living movement. Minimize your lifestyle to what you need and love and get rid of the rest. Of course, simple living isn’t a new concept. Buddha, Confucius, St. Francis of Assisi, Leo Tolstoy, Albert Schweitzer, Mohandas Gandhi – all fans of simple living. Philosopher Epicurus pointed out that living an extravagant lifestyle usually outweighed the pleasure obtained from it. Look at the Amish – they manage to live rewarding lives without cars, cell phones, computers, telephones, and electricity.
People turn to simple living for different reasons. Some for health, some for spiritual reasons, some in hopes of creating more quality time, some to reduce their ecological footprint, some because they wish to be more frugal, some because they want to help others, and some just to reduce the stress of having too much.
How do you live a simple life? You can reduce the amount of goods and services you purchase. You can watch less television, turn off the computer, work fewer hours, then donate that extra time to your family or to helping others. You can also simplify your diet. This can be going vegetarian (completely or once a week), sticking to a diet of less processed foods, or purchasing only organic vegetables and fruits.
Now don’t get me wrong – I am not going to give up my computer, iPod, or cell phone. I am way too spoiled for that. But, I do want to take small steps towards a smaller life.
Later, I’ll go more in depth on simple living. It may not be easy, but you might be surprised by the rewards. Remember, Economist E.F. Schumacher said, “Any intelligent fool can make things bigger, more complex, and more violent. It takes a touch of genius – and a lot of courage – to move in the opposite direction.”