How Spirituality Tells Us to Be Simple

The wisdom of simplicity is a theme with deep roots. The great value and benefits of living simply are found in all the world's major wisdom traditions.

Christian Views

Jesus embodied a life of compassionate simplicity. He taught by word and example that we should not make the acquisition of material possessions our primary aim; instead, we should develop our capacity for loving participation in life. The Bible speaks frequently about the need to find a balance between the material and the spiritual side of life:

• "Give me neither poverty nor wealth." (Proverbs 30:8)
• "Do not store up for yourselves treasure on earth ... Store up treasure in heaven ... For wherever your treasure is, there will your heart be also." (Matthew 6:19-21)
• "If a man has enough to live on, and yet when he sees his brother in need shuts up his heart against him, how can it be said that the divine love dwells in him?" (John 3:17)

Eastern Views

Eastern spiritual traditions such as Buddhism, Hinduism and Taoism have also encouraged a life of material moderation and spiritual abundance. From the Taoist tradition we have this saying from Lao-tzu: "He who knows he has enough is rich."

From the Hindu tradition, Mahatma Gandhi, the spiritual and political leader who was instrumental in gaining India's independence, wrote: "Civilization, in the real sense of the term, consists not in the multiplication, but in the deliberate and voluntary reduction of wants. This alone promotes real happiness and contentment." Gandhi felt the moderation of our wants increases our capacity to be of service to others and, in being of loving service to others, true civilization emerges. Also found in the Hindu tradition is the idea of "non-possessiveness," or taking only what we need and finding satisfaction in balanced living.

Perhaps the most developed expression of a middle way between material excess and deprivation comes from the Buddhist tradition. While Buddhism recognizes that basic material needs must be met in order to realize our potentials, it does not consider our material welfare as an end in itself; rather, it is a means to the end of awakening to our deeper nature as spiritual beings. The middle way of Buddhism moves between mindless materialism on the one hand and needless poverty on the other. The result is a balanced approach to living that harmonizes both inner and outer development.

Greek Views

Socrates, Plato and Aristotle recognized the importance of the "golden mean," or a middle path through life characterized by neither excess nor deficit, but by sufficiency. They did not view the material world as primary but as instrumental -- as serving our learning about the more expansive world of thought and spirit. Aristotle favored a balanced life that involved moderation on the material side and exertion on the intellectual side. He said that "temperance and courage" were destroyed by either excess or deficiency and could only be preserved by following the golden mean.

Puritan Views

Paradoxically, although the United States is the world's most notoriously consumerist nation, the simple life has strong roots in American history. The early Puritan settlers brought to America their "puritan ethic," which stressed hard work, temperate living, participation in the life of the community and a steadfast devotion to things spiritual. Puritans also stressed the golden mean by saying we should not desire more material things than we can use effectively. It is from the New England Puritans that we get the adage, "Use it up, wear it out, make do, or do without."

Quaker Views

The Quakers also had a strong influence on the American character, particularly with their belief that material simplicity was an important aid in evolving toward spiritual perfection. Unlike the Puritans, their strong sense of equality among people fostered religious tolerance. Quakers emphasized the virtues of hard work at one's calling, sobriety and frugality. Although they thought it only natural for one to enjoy the fruits of their labors, they also recognized that our stay on Earth is brief and that people should place much of their love and attention on things eternal.

Transcendentalist Views

Transcendentalist thought flourished in the early to mid-1800s in America and are best exemplified by the lives and writing of Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau. The Transcendentalists believed that a spiritual presence infuses the world, and that by living simply we can more easily encounter this vital life force. For Emerson, the Transcendental path began with self-discovery and then led to "an organic synthesis of that self with the natural world surrounding it."

The Transcendentalists had a reverential attitude toward nature and saw the natural world as the doorway to the divine. By communing with nature, Emerson felt that people could become "part and parcel with God," thereby realizing the ultimate simplicity of oneness with the divine. Thoreau also viewed simplicity as a means to a higher end. Although he said that a person "is rich in proportion to the number of things which he can afford to let alone," he was not particularly concerned with the specific manner in which someone lived a simpler life. Instead, he was more interested in the rich inner life that could be gained through undistracted contemplation. For both Emerson and Thoreau, simplicity had more to do with one's intentions than with one's particular possessions.

As these examples illustrate, the simple life is not a new social invention -- its value has long been recognized. What is new is the urgent need to respond to the radically changing material and ecological circumstances in which humanity finds itself in the modern world. By whatever name, "simplicity" can be reclaimed as a path to a thriving future. How has simplicity served your life path?

Duane Elgin is a speaker, author, and non-partisan activist for media accountability. He is the author of "Voluntary Simplicity," "The Living Universe," "Promise Ahead," and other books. Please visit his website, www.DuaneElgin.com for free articles and videos on thriving in these challenging times. Your comments and suggestions are much appreciated.

 

 

 

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Comments

[marinatha]

04:36 PM on 08/31/2011

Great article.I have a wooden heart in my house that says " Its the simple things". It sums up in my mind what your article is about. Thanks.My parents always said it was the simple things that were most important. A relationship, a good book, good music and nature.

[Mr Sick Of Greed]

05:52 PM on 08/08/2011

this is why i never understood people and their cars.....i mean, most BMW drivers and Mecredes drivers act like their so above others....i am not trying to generalize all of those people, as I am sure they are not all like that....but this American culture thrives on materialism and makes you feel inadequate if you don't drive the flashiest car, or whatever...it gets old rather quickly...
and that is why these people are so empty inside......peace out

[ThusSpokeZarathustra]

05:04 PM on 08/03/2011

You forgot to mention under Greek views Diogenes of Sinope, who believed so fervently in simplicity that he lived in a barrel in the Athens agora for most of his life.

Great post on a fascinating matter! Thanks!

"Simplicity, simplicity, simplicity!" -- Henry David Thoreau

[Karl Pillemer]

09:19 AM on 07/18/2011

This is a fascinating topic. I would add, however, that there is another source of guidance about simpler living: America's elders. We've conducted a project at Cornell University where we collected data from over 1200 older Americans (most age 70 and over). They grew up in a time where it was much more difficult to load up on material goods, and they learned to live with less. We asked these elders what practical advice they would offer to younger people, and one of the strongest pieces of advice was to not let material possessions rule your life. What you will really care about at the end of life, they say, are people and experiences. The elders' lessons on this and other topics can be found at: http://headmin-lamp.cit.cornell.edu/legacy_project/

[Duane Elgin]

09:57 AM on 07/18/2011

Thanks for sharing the wisdom of elders in this fascinating study!

[Shawn de Montaigne]

05:43 PM on 07/14/2011

Eschewing our consumer lifestyle is absolutely necessary if we as a species hope to survive to see the 22nd century. The evidence on that is clear.

But I'm looking outside right now, and I can see our neighbor and his four cars; at his neighbor with his three; across the street is the young family with their two big cars; their sprinkler is on day and night, watering absolutely useless genetically modified Kentucky bluegrass. Next to them, their neighbor, who owns three vehicles (one is a new Harley) and who is always seen with bags full of crap from Home Depot and other huge multinationals.

Your post is well-taken, Mr. Elgin. My question is: How do you stop preaching to the choir, as you are here, and reach the somnolent, indifferent masses?

[Duane Elgin]

11:19 PM on 07/14/2011

What a great question! How can I (we?) reach the seemingly indifferent masses? I think that in a few years, the world will awaken us from our collective indifference and we will be forced to make dramatic changes in how we live and work. Climate disruption is already happening, the end of cheap oil is already evident, etc. so it is just a matter of time and we will hit an "evolutionary wall." Then, to make it through to a world of sustainable prosperity will require an entirely new level of human communication about our collective future. Fortunately, we have a communications revolution blossoming around us at breathtaking speed! In my view, we need a new level of mass communication, so in addition to "preaching about simplicity," I've also invested more than a decade in non-partisan community organizing around how we use the mass media. I'll bet most of your neighbors not only have multiple cars, they also have multiple TV sets that are on much of the time. It's time to change the programs and change how we think about and imagine our world of the future. Have you seen, for example, my blog "The Last Taboo On Television"? See: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/duane-elgin/the-last-taboo-on-televis_b_870497.html

[GoogleAlphaPublishing]

03:37 PM on 07/15/2011

I think it is the very concept, simplicity, that is waking the somnolent. And they don't like it one bit. Too bad. They will thank us at some point, best believe it. We might enjoy our placidness so much we hardly concern ourselves about others' response, positive or negative.

Stranger things've happened. : )

[Revgregory]

09:23 AM on 07/14/2011

Thank you for this article and reminder of a way out of this consumer hypnotic trance. You articulate a path to the fullness of being human. But why out of the 200,000 years of being human, more or less how come these salvationists religions all appear within 500 years. It seems world wide. What was going on?

Rev. Gregory Wilson

[Ruth L Miller]

04:03 PM on 07/14/2011

Thanks for taking the long view! If we look at humanity in those terms, we see that the drive to build and acquire is only about 6000 years old, and prior to that spiritual norms were based on community health and well-being rather than individual acquisition and aggrandizement. For the next several thousand years we see a mix of the ancient values in the rural ("pagan") communities, and a deification of heroes and emperors in the urban communities. Only since the printing press made home-based spiritual education possible do we see the expansion of these ideas in this way. And, now that we have the Internet, we're seeing a new kind of spiritual education and formation occurring... what a time to be living!

[MagicManDoneIt]

06:07 AM on 07/15/2011

I don't think your assertion follows logically. The drive to build and acquire is probably much older than mankind's ability to do so. Hunter/gatherer society's living on a razor's edge didn't really have the time or resources to build and acquire. As for spiritual norms being based on community health and well-being, well, cooperative societies tended to do better in the long run. I'd say it was more about pragmatism than notions of spiritual norms, but I digress. I don't mean to nitpick or denigrate, but I think you are confusing correlation with causation, a common mistake.

[Ruth L Miller]

11:33 PM on 07/15/2011

Ah, you make the assumption that humanity moved straight from paleolithic hunter-gatherer tribes to urban-empire culture--leaving out thousands of years of neolithic horticultural villages, during which time animals were domesticated, weaving, pottery, wine-making, cider and oil presses, metallic jewelry, and the early sacred symbols on which the alphabet is based were invented. These villages are the source of the now-famous "goddess figures" and, as they've been excavated, include sacred spaces, water management systems and other features we take for granted today. Some of them were virtually identical to today's Taos Pueblo.
Archeologists have found thousands of such villages in the Fertile Crescent and various river valleys from the Nile to the Yangtse. In at least one, where there is an unbroken record of habitation and burials, there is no sign of violent death for several hundred years--not until after the arrival of cattle herds, horses, and a shift from the use of metal for adornment to weapons.
Correlation, maybe, but where the same pattern is found many times over, there's reason to explore a causal effect--which is why I wrote a book on the role of the divine feminine in the history and prehistory of western culture that examines these ideas in detail.

[Duane Elgin]

11:29 PM on 07/14/2011

You make the important point that the major wisdom traditions (Christianity, Buddhism, Taoism, and others) appeared within a relatively short period of time, say 700 years or so. It was a time of great violence and separation so "religions of compassion" appeared to moderate those forces. I think a new "awakening" is now underway that is equally significant--a second "axial age" where we recognize our communion with one another in the context of a living universe, now being revealed by science. See my blog on "Humanity's Second Spiritual Age" at http://www.huffingtonpost.com/duane-elgin/coming-together_b_870538.html I think this new spiritual age will be critical for us to find our common sense of purpose and to come together as a human community in a new enterprise: learning how to live in a living universe.

[EcoHustler]

05:09 AM on 07/14/2011

Great stuff!!

Living simply and with purpose is a sure fire route to happiness!

http://www.ecohustler.co.uk/green-happy/

[Duane Elgin]

11:34 PM on 07/14/2011

Thanks! You are right that simplicity is a route to happiness. There are innumerable surveys and studies that powerfully and consistently affirm this core insight. Have you seen my blog on the theme, "Simplicity Is Not Sacrifice." See: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/duane-elgin/simplicity-is-not-sacrifi_1_b_872475.html

[Kimberly Rex]

11:07 PM on 07/13/2011

Simplicity allows for greater mindfulness and coherence in all matters. This helps us emotionally, mentally, physically and spiritually. "Tis a gift to be simple..." Simplicity speaks to being met with ease and support to and from nature. The core values of humanity and ethics for thriving world is in what works to give meaning and value to the whole of life and what sustains it. It's in everyone of us....and for all of us. Huge gratitude for this article~

[Revgregory]

09:28 AM on 07/14/2011

"coherence in all matters.", I believe this is the key to our health, breaking through the fragmentation of our minds that is necessary for this culture to continue. However when true coherence of the mind comes and I see, feel, and smell the world it is horrifying.
Gregory

[Duane Elgin]

11:36 PM on 07/14/2011

Beautifully stated! Thanks for the affirming insights.

[ElderChild]

09:09 PM on 07/13/2011

“Love Not The World”

”For the WHOLE(notjustaportion)world is under the control of the evil one”.(IJohn5:19)

John testified, “Love not the world,neither the things that are in the world. If any man loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world will pass away, and the lust thereof: but he that does the will of The Only True GOD will abide for ever.”(IJohn2:15-17)

The Messiah testified, “If you were of the world,the world would love it’s own: but because you are not of the world,but I have chosen you out of the world,therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said unto you,the servant is not greater than his Master. If they have persecuted Me,they will also persecute you; if they have kept My saying, they will keep yours also.”(John15:19-20)

James testified,“Where do wars and fighting among you come from? Do they not come of your lusts that war in your members? You lust, and have not,you kill,and desire to have, and cannot obtain, you fight and war yet you have not,because you ask not. You ask,and receive not,because you ask amiss, that you may consume it upon your lusts....... continued@ http://asimpleandspirituallife.blogspot.com/2011/03/brethren-of-messiah-love-not-world.html

[Woods-shade]

08:10 PM on 07/13/2011

The Shakers truly lived that philosophy. Lived simply, worked hard for the abundance of loaded pantries and cool stone cellars, shared what they had, and believed in equality of the sexes and races. Their long-ago but fore-thinking ways have been an example to me practically my whole life.

[Miriam Mason Martineau]

07:13 PM on 07/13/2011

"Simple Abundance" is what we've often called it. And I love how you point out that it is not so much about the excess or the lack, but about our relationship with the material realm -- how attached, identified with and dependent on material resources are we? From a place of conscious care, we can make use of material resources for the Greatest Good, and we can also find Joy, Creativity and Gratitude in Simplicity.

[Duane Elgin]

10:22 AM on 07/15/2011

Thanks Miriam. I appreciate the phrase "simple abundance" and it is clear from surveys that this appeals to the American spirit. Here's a survey done by the Barna Group which "shows that as Americans rethink their lifestyles and priorities, many also consider themselves to be socially conscious and living "simple" lives." See their study: "American Spirituality Gives Way to Simplicity and the Desire to Make a Difference." http://www.barna.org/barna-update/article/12-faithspirituality/19-american-spirituality-gives-way-to-simplicity-and-the-desire-to-make-a-difference

[cherylpetersen]

11:48 AM on 07/13/2011

Simplicity has served me by simply knowing--ALL that is valued in society is "not a new social invention." All that is valuable has existed in conjunction with existence.

[surfcityart]

09:44 AM on 07/13/2011

Another wise aphorism too add from the Tao Te Ching. "Invest in loss", in a nutshell everything is on rent to us, one day the God force is going to want it back. You have said we are biodegradable, that kind of sez it all about our temporary visit in this great classroom. You are one of the great teachers, that gives us the answers to the test.

[Duane Elgin]

04:08 PM on 07/15/2011

Thanks for the affirming feedback. "Simplicity" (by whatever name) is still a hard sell in our consumer society. :)

[playflute2]

10:57 AM on 07/16/2011

Our consumer society is always trying to get us to 'consume' their products. Lifestyle changes are hard in a world where 'getting and spending' is the name of the game, but it can be done. I'll admit to 3 consumer issues: books, CD's, music. I have cut back on consuming all three. Our other issue would be the need to always be doing something--to just 'be' is difficult. Once one gets the hang of it, it is difficult to get back into the need for the busyness of life. Great article. Thanks.

[Saijanai]

08:32 AM on 07/13/2011

Transcendental Meditation is simple to practice. Likewise, the deepest level of practice of TM is the simplest as well and eventually, the deepest point of meditation becomes the normal daily reality.

SImple, really.

[Stephanie Elise]

02:15 AM on 07/13/2011

Brilliant article!