This is really relevant to the path I'm trying to walk as well. I tend to think of it in terms of effort, too, or of being "targeted lazy". I've discovered that shopping for and maintaining material possessions is a pain, and I only do it when I need to, or when it's worth it to me. My husband and I answer the consumer-felt "need" to buy things by going "not-shoppping" together; we hold hands and walk around stores (any stores! stores we could never afford a thing in!) and look at everything and talk about it. We almost never leave feeling at all deprived, since usually we would have decided not to buy any of that stuff even if we could; and if there's anything we would have bought, it was generally inconsequential anyway. Plus, we just had a nice walk and a conversation instead. ;)
But more than that, I'm involved in an intentional community project that's still in the planning phases, and this kind of thing comes up a LOT. How do you make it possible for everyone to live to their values, when our values are all so different? These values are things that many people don't think about, that they get from their upbringing and never question. It's interesting, as we plan the community and how it has to run and what work it needs done, to see where all our values really are. (For instance, I'm a computer person, not a 'dirt person', but it turns out that I find gardening for my own food quite fulfilling!)
Thanks!
pd
of MI
@
Aug 07, 2008 09:37:49 AM
SIMPLE THINGS STAY WITH YOU ALWAYS
Thsi reminds me of when I was little and peeple would ask me what I wanted for my birthday. I always had the same answer... a record (music) or a book. That was always what mattered to me, but amazingly I would get back as a reply "That can't be what you really want, you're being shy and afraid to ask for what you REALLY want." NO ONE BELEIVED ME! Yet it was, and STILL is true..those are the things that have always mattered, to me. The rest was just extraneous stuff I could do with or without. I could play the piano for hours, and be happy, or get lost in a book and be the same way. It is still that way. and when times got tough for us after 9/11, and we almost lost everything, those simple things were there for me. Yes, I have an iPhone...but guess what for? My music (I teach it) and my books (now EBooks to save the paper). These are, and always mwere, my comfort things, and I like having them in my pocket to go to. It is used less as a phone , other than to stay in touch with my wife and kids as we disperse throughout New York City each day. But it allows me to hold onto the tings that I always said were important to me...music and reading. And peole STILL don't believe me whne I say that's all I need...sad.
The other "stuff" is just that..stuff. This summer I am enoying watching and taking care of a small batch of kittens and their mom who are outside our house..could watch for hours. Talk about simplicity. What else is there?
Julius
of NY
@
Aug 07, 2008 08:37:27 AM
And on a more cynical note...
Is 'voluntary simplicity' the upper-class term for willingly living like poor people?
While I applaud the idea of reducing the waste in one's life, looking to improve the quality versus quantity of one's environment, the article clearly indicates that the only people who can best afford to take the steps to be voluntarily simple are those who don't NEED to.
Finding ways to cut down on material excess may be good for individuals, but businesses thrive on it. In that vein, and should this trend of thought persist, there will be marketers who will 'simplify' you life for you, working with you (for a substantial fee, of course) to make your life simpler. You'll be encouraged to 'develop a personal relationship' with "Certified Simple" items that the 'simple life' can't be without in order to be happy.
today's society wants people to do things for them. They don't want to put forth the effort to do for themselves or, gods forbid, others.
The path to simplicity is simple: If you don't NEED it, don't get it. Leave 'want' at home.
Fatesrider
of CA
@
Aug 06, 2008 17:56:47 PM
That looks like a great website, thanks Carol! And Chris, Cheryl and Veronica- what great perspectives. Thanks for sharing.
Kimberly Palmer
of
@
Aug 06, 2008 17:01:51 PM
Thanks for your superb article and, for many, voluntary simplicity doesn't need to be about "giving up purchases." As Dr. Kasser indicates, it's all about satisfaction. What's more, it's all about satisfaction in the eye of the beholder! For further information, Simple Living America at www.getsatisfied.org recommends the recent book, "Get Satisfied: How Twenty People Like You Found the Satisfaction of Enough."
Carol Holst
of CA
@
Aug 06, 2008 16:55:26 PM
Amen
My wife and I have raised three mostly intelligent and enjoyable children while hovering not too far above the poverty level. We have done this voluntarily and have regularly turned down opportunities to make more by working more. We enjoy our life for the most part but have experienced difficulties and made poor decisions like everyone else.
Nevertheless, I've been able to give myself to my kids and to others in need. The same goes for my wife. We really live in a cool confluence of working enough to connect with people and having enough time to actually get to know them.
Chris
of IL
@
Aug 06, 2008 15:56:36 PM
Thank you for this article. It reaffirms what I have always known but never pinpointed. I greatly appreciate living a relatively simple life and strive to simplify every day, even if in little ways. It is liberating!
I find that including period of quiet helps me simplify. Not turning on the television in the morning or on weekends gives me peace of mind and frees me to discover reading and other activities. I also opt out of having a radio playing all the time via an iPod or radio. I love music but I think that the constant noise all around us on a daily basis keeps us on a path of distraction and materialism.
Another small example is that I try buy clothing that is easier to care for, so that I can use the time I would spend running to the drycleaners or ironing for more fulfilling activities.
Cheryl
of NJ
@
Aug 06, 2008 15:24:11 PM
While I may not have a plasma screen TV, in fact I have the 13 incher I bought when I went to college that refuses to die, sometimes I find watching TV to be simple. After a long day of school and work, I just want to unwind. Being in the city, I don't have a backyard where I can go home and read a book in a nice lawn chair, so I sit on a nice comfy couch and watch TV for an hour or two a night. Simplicity is how we define it for ourselves.
Kimberly Palmer, senior editor for U.S. News & World Report, writes about how to save money, avoid scams, manage debt, and be a savvy shopper. Send your personal finance questions to her for expert money advice.
pd of MI @ Aug 07, 2008 09:37:49 AM
Julius of NY @ Aug 07, 2008 08:37:27 AM
Fatesrider of CA @ Aug 06, 2008 17:56:47 PM
Kimberly Palmer of @ Aug 06, 2008 17:01:51 PM
Carol Holst of CA @ Aug 06, 2008 16:55:26 PM
Chris of IL @ Aug 06, 2008 15:56:36 PM
Cheryl of NJ @ Aug 06, 2008 15:24:11 PM
Veronica of NY @ Aug 06, 2008 14:12:17 PM
Back to blog