The Simple Life

Ah, the simple life! Who doesn't long for it, especially these days when life seems to get busier and more complex by the hour? In a culture that is summed up and symbolized by the superhighway - both asphalt and information! - who doesn't yearn to find an exit to a simpler way of life? I share those yearnings too but very few of us live lives that can be described as simple. In fact, we mostly make one or two basic choices that keep our lives out of control and leave us chronically rushed and dissatisfied. Simplicity doesn't come automatically. Not anymore. If we want a simpler life, we have to learn to make simplifying choices - choices that involve words like no and not now. We have to learn the simple art of enough is enough.
Unfortunately, the actual practice of simplifying our life can feel threatening. Saying no goes against our basic human territorial urge to acquire, get more, conquer, stock up. It goes against the dominant voices of our highly materialistic society. One cultural message that works against simplicity is the myth of More is Better. It involves the basic assumption that, in order to be happy and satisfied, we constantly need to acquire more, take on more, become involved with more and more. We buy into the assumption that we must constantly build our material base, acquiring ever more valuable or up-to-date possessions. It is built on the drive to "trade up" everything from vehicles to houses to computers to jobs in order to lead a more worthwhile life.
The most obvious expression of "more is better" is the shopping culture. There is so much energy taken up with hunting for new stuff, purchasing new stuff, bringing new stuff home, finding a place for it, then storing or getting rid of the old stuff to make room for the new stuff. Shopping has become a primary form of entertainment. We shop as something to do, to ease our anxieties, to replace the stuff we've thrown away or just grown tired of, and we shop for bargains in order to feel virtuous.
The myth of "more is better" applies to our activities as well. We complain how busy we are but our complaints are colored with a tint of pride in that very busyness. We tend to assume that the people with the most activities in their lives are the most important, the most valuable, the ones who deserve to be rewarded. No wonder we complicate our lives with so many competing activities. We also think that the existence of something new mean we must have it in our lives. We "gotta have it" in order to be happy, successful, and fulfilled. Unfortunately, much of the time, we feel we "gotta have it" now, even if having it means going deeply into debt.
Like most people, I lament that my schedule is just too full for me to do things I want to do in life. I realize that it is a lie. My time is mine to spend and invest as I choose. My life is a precious gift presented to me at birth. I am solely responsible to myself and to my Creator for what I do with this marvelous gift. Regardless of our circumstances, the simplicity or complication of our lives comes from our own choices, not from what the outside world imposes upon us. We can choose simplicity - by choosing what we include or exclude from our lives.