Ch. 1: Simplicity
Theme Song: Throw It Away – Abbey Lincoln
“Since Transcendentalists were convinced that life was too precious to waste on the mere pursuit and enjoyment of things, their common goal was to develop modes of living that reduced their material and institutional needs to a minimum so that they could more easily pursue spiritual truths, moral ideals, and aesthetic impulses."
~ David E. Shi, The Simple Life
In response to the "Material Girl" consumerism of the 1980's, a voluntary simplicity movement was born. My brother joked that in my case it was involuntary simplicity. Even if I did have an abundant budget, I would still make choices every day about how to spend my resources. At 22, I knew that a BMW would make me no happier than my Mazda 323 ~ both vehicles would fulfill the essential function of a car, getting me places, and the payments for a BMW would require me to work more hours adding more stress to my life.
Today, I sit on the same furniture that I sat on in my 20's and cherish all the small mementos that one acquires along the way. My home is not Spartan: I have a high joy-to-stuff ratio and my lifestyle affords me the freedom to use my time to write books and create websites that I hope will contribute to the movement of love in the world. I invite you to join me by practicing the exterior spiritual discipline of simplicity.
The GOD-centric and GOOD-centric mantra is “How would my action affect the movement of love in the world?” When it comes to the exterior spiritual discipline of simplicity, both GOD-centric and GOOD-centric might ask: "How might I set up my life in a way that frees me to better affect the movement of love in the world?" Simplicity may be defined as "freedom from complexity" and "the absence of luxury, pretentiousness, ornament." Setting up a simple life is both a virtue in its own right and the time-and-spacing-freeing foundation for the other exterior spiritual disciplines of service, stewardship, and celebration.
GOD-centric Christians may find motivation in these biblical calls for simplicity:
Sell your possessions, and give alms; provide yourselves with purses that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail. (Luke 12:33)
No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon. (Luke 16:13)
GOOD-centrics may find motivation in Henry David Thoreau's calls for simplicity:
Our life is frittered away by detail... Simplicity, simplicity, simplicity! (Walden)
The cost of a thing is the amount of what I will call life which is required to be exchanged for it, immediately or in the long run. (Walden)
GOD or GOOD-centric, the exterior spiritual discipline of simplicity frees us from the burdens of excessive busy-ness and excessive material possessions so we may spend our time and financial resources on building world in which love, goodness, and fairness thrive.
