The trend of today for many people is to live the "simple life." However, what exactly is the simple life? There are as many answers to this question as there are individuals looking to find the peace and contentment that seems so evasive. Yet, in their hearts there is a void, an empty spot that modern consumption just cannot fill. So,people sit there pondering what they can do to live the simple life, while the television's volume is on high and the voice mail fills up with messages. After all this thinking, hunger comes into play. A quick trip to McDonald's or Burger King and then back home to an evening of station-broadcast news and opinions, and then the comedies of late-night shows. You knwo, the no-holds-barred laughter at everything and anything, and nothing is beyond beign the butt of jokes.
The Simple Life is right there in your heart and in your home. It just needs a little dusting off, or perhaps you can move some of your possessions to the side to make room for Simple Life to breathe some fresh air and come into play in your life. Whoa! how can a person have the simple life right there when real simple life is living in the woods with the bears and the deer and hunting and fishing for your food. Yes, there are some that find this type of life very satisfying and then there are those that do not. Who is correct? Both are indeed correct. The Simple Life is not letting your possessions control you, it is living within your means and not worrying about mounting debt, and it is laughter, quiet, and learning and evaluating all that goes around you. It is not accepting what you see on television or the internet as written in stone; for in fact, it is someone's opinion or view of a situation and it may or may not be yours. It is not joining every group, committee, or cause, so that there is no time for famly, friends, and individualism.
In a few words, it is getting the most from your particular life, by doing away with what is not necessary and concentrating on what is important and life-sustaining. Life - whether physical, spiritual, or social - it is having the time for those you love and for those you would like to know and love. It is stepping outside to a sky filled with stars and to find peace in the patter of raindrops on your window. It is taking a deep breath and clearing your mind, and it is the aroma of a good meal, the sound of children laughing, and the touch of a person who loves you.
The Simple Life - you can live in the woods or on an island, you can fish all day or garden, you can read and learn, or write a song. It is enjoying every minute of every day in the way that brings peace and tranquility into your life, keeps you out of debt, and that old belief of "keeping up with the neighbors" is put to rest. It is being yourself, but more importantly, being true to yourself. It is having the peace of mind to open your mind and it is setting no limits or boundaries in what you can imagine and also to what you can accomplish. It is having the joy of a morning sunrise and the tranquility of a sunset. It is knowing that Nature cannot be ravaged but must be kept for future generations to enjoy and it is having the wisdom that money does not buy friends or happiness but good will does.
I would like to add a practical tip. The simple life sounds idyllic and I fully agree with everything Arleen says but how do you achieve it? I started by trying to filter the information and messages I received in my everyday life. What is superfluous? What is misleading? What is the purpose behind this information? These are some good places to start. The majority of the information we recieve each day can be examined using these crieria, and I'm sure you could add many more.
Some examples - advertising. How do you know what your needs are - is advertising 'manufacturing' needs? Of course it is - otherwise how could thousands of different companies, making basically the same product, e.g. storage systems, stay in business. People who live a simple life may know they need something to store their possessions. Advertising tells us we 'need' the latest storage item, in a range of colours and sizes and our home will be transformed into a magazine design feature. Simple people look at what they have and utilize or adapt that if possible, or buy something sturdy and beautiful second hand and save it from landfill. Simple people conside function first, and right down the bottom of the list is 'can I buy something for this need?'
News programmes - how depressing are they???? And can we do anything about it? Usually not. Does it make any difference if we know the latest figures on Wall Street and if the dollar is going up or down? We still have to live/make purchases anyway and any serious investor won't be getting his financial info from the evening news. Even the information on something as important as the Iraq war - we have no way of gauging the importance or accuracy of the information we recieve in the media so why clutter our minds with something when we have no influence over the progress or outcome. Regardless of whether you support the cause or not nightly bulletins are superfluous information of dubious accuracy which add to life's stresses. Simple people work locally to make their own community a better place - they look for the problems there, where they can affect the outcome for the better.
Simple people don't live in bare shacks in the woods - unless they choose to of course! They think long and hard about what they really want for themselves and their families and they resist outside influences which attempt to lead them from their chosen way for ulterior motives. They have comfortable homes and freedom from onerous debt and they look for their fulfillment in areas other than the TV and the shopping mall. The start of the simple life is to question what you are told is the norm and critically assess the information you recieve every day - get rid of the superfluous and go your own way.
My experiences were to discover I did not need new fashionable clothes 2 or 3 times a year - I buy at charity shops. I did not need an 11 roomed house for 1 person - I downsized to a 4 roomed house. I did not need the mounds of possessions I owned and never looked at, (and had to get rid of a lot to fit into my new smaller house! lol!). I sold/gave away what I didn't need/want and only have things I love and see everyday. I didn't want to work 35 hours a week - I wanted to be free to garden, volunteer and just sit! I am in the process of paying off my small mortgage over the next 18 months and then I will be able to pick and choose my work hours. Yes, I will have to make some 'sacrifices' but I prefer to see them not as sacrifices, more as choices to achieve my goals
Change your mind set first by critical thinking and analysing your real needs, and the thrifty living/spending decisions will follow automatically with no feeling of deprivation what so ever.
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