Simplicity

I read the 13 Steps to Simplicity (Helen Nearing/Lisa McSherry) in “SageWoman”. In the Numenist Bounty Ministry, we embrace living simply – which isn’t always the cheapest way to go, or the easiest. We read “Simple Living”, and assorted other journals geared towards making one’s life less complicated.

Sometimes, I get the feeling these things all just complicate life further.

Take the list in “SageWoman”, as a for example. The first one on the list is “Do the best you can, whatever arises.” That isn’t making life simple, it complicates things with worries of not having done good enough, the way it’s worded. Someone is always going to come along and cast doubts upon what you did, and question whether you really did give it your best shot, or if you held back because of a number of things.

We teach that we all do what must be done, accept responsibility for what we did, and move forward. There is no niggly little voice in one’s head insisting we could have done better, no doubts paralyzing us the next time we need to make a decision or take action.

As we get older, our experiences stand us in good stead. That’s why our second lesson in simplicity is communication – talk to people who had the same experience, especially ones who are older and have had time to learn more about the situation. It’s much simpler to learn from someone else’s experiences, or to use that experience as additional information in making decisions about actions.

The third lesson in simplicity is observation. Pay attention to what is happening around you. Too many of us walk through life blinkered, and we miss all the clues and signs that could make our lives simpler, easier, more joyful. Blinkered people lose sight of their place in the world around them, and they feel isolated, alone, and lonely, even quietly desperate. By observing the world about them, they see what their place is, and how they can make that place a perfect fit. When you observe deeply, you see the connections, and the sanctity in all life, all objects.

The third item on the 13 Steps to Simplicity list is to find a job you enjoy. That isn’t always possible, so we advocate enjoying the job you have. Find the things that please you in your job, add what you can to make your job enjoyable. Mute endurance, grumbling dissatisfaction, and self-martyrdom in the workplace just make it burdensome. Yes, be the Pollyanna. Choose to be happy – and your job will become much simpler, and more fun.

The fourth item on the list is to live in simple conditions. That doesn’t work for everyone, especially artists who use lots of materials. Tubes of paint, stacks of wood, piles of fabric and sewing notions, lumps of clay, and more – they all complicate the living area, especially of the art is made in the home and not some separate studio. Have some complication in your life to please you, whether it’s art, gourmet foods, richly embroidered clothing, whatever. Keep it organized and clean, and it will be simple.

Not everyone is a nature child, and contact with dirt doesn’t make life simple for them. Observation is the key here to simplicity – spend time enjoying the lines of the architecture, the shapes of power lines against the sky, the textures of the walls and colors of the stones and pavement, even the sounds of other people moving and living their lives.

We agree that exercise with a purpose is more beneficial that machine-assisted exercise in a sweaty room – take exercise by walking, climbing stairs instead of using the escalators and elevators, performing weekly heavy housework, indulging in a vigorous hobby, playing physical games for fun not competition, visiting “pick your own” fruit and vegetable farms to supplement your groceries. And do them with others, it’s much more fun, and it makes play of the hard work.

While living one day at a time seems to be an answer to living simply, we prefer to live in the moment, and live the days and weeks according to a flexible, adaptable plan. Setting goals (short and long term) and selecting the methods to achieve those goals makes life simpler – you’ll know what to add to your life to achieve those goals, and what is extraneous and unneeded.

That brings us to one of the activities that makes your life simpler: living locally. Shopping from local merchants instead of chains, buying produce from the pick your own farms or at the farmer’s market, participating in a CSA, seed and plant exchanges for those who garden, freecycling, and so on can forge community connections, build networks, and simplify your life all at the same time.

As part of living locally, we also advocate living lightly, using less in utilities, wasting less, using less, being environmentally aware without being foolish about it – stewards, not dogs in the manger. Alternative energy sources appeal to us because they are individualized – wind power, ethanol fuel, wells, grey water recycling, solar power, rain water collection, and so forth. Having homes as natural and non-toxic as possible is a plus, but sometimes, we have to live where we must, and make the best of it.

One of the most important things in our Bounty Ministry is to share freely of our bounty. What we have in excess, we can choose to hoard, or to share. We find there is more joy in sharing. Don’t give if it hurts, if it will deprive you of what you need to be happy, to function well, and to live in comfort, and don’t keep it if it will cause you pain, interfere in your life, disrupt your friends and family, limit your ability to do as you must. Certainly we don’t include saving for retirement or preparing a stash for disasters to be hoarding. Nor do we consider owning something because it gives you pleasure to own it to be hoarding. Hoarding is when you have things for which you personally have no use and you have it simply because it prevents someone else from having it. It’s an advanced form of packratitis – the packrat at least sincerely believes the object will be useful someday. The hoarder keeps it because they either can’t conceive of letting it go, no matter how useless or displeasing it is to them, or because having it deprives someone else of using it.

I suppose, in truth, Numenists don’t advocate living simply just to be living simply, but to live simply because it is a pleasure, because it spreads pleasure, and because it is a part of the connectivity of all. What we define as “simple” can vary widely.