On the evening news one night last week, there was a segment about a young man who was trying to live with 100 or less items in his life. He is part of a growing movement of people who focus on simplifying their lifestyles, whether from personal principles or economic necessity. He had actually succeeded in decreasing the amount of stuff that had previously burdened him down. Yet, he was living a comfortable and adequate existence.
It reminded me of a priest friend from years past. His goal was to be able to move everything he owned in his car when he was transferred from one assignment to another in his ministry. Obviously, because he always lived in parish accommodations, he did not need to own, and therefore move, furniture, appliances, etc. However, he did limit his personal belongings, library, other stuff to what he could transport in his automobile.
Such simple living has many benefits and advantages. Besides providing the opportunity to counteract the greed and acquisitiveness that is part of our human nature and certainly our society, this choice to live simply brings great freedom of spirit. All the energy that would be spent in collecting and protecting our stuff can now be spent in other more lofty endeavors such as serving other people.
When we journeyed through our Hurricane Experience, we found that changed our lifestyle. What a blessing that has proven to be as we now enjoy a much more simple life. The beauty, joy and peace of God's world have become much more evident. The time My Love and I have for each other and our families has multiplied. We appreciate the freedom that is ours because of our simpler existence. We obviously have not reached the point of living on 100 or less items. However, the definite choice to downsize has reaped a harvest beyond measure.
To see suggestions about Living Simply So That Others May Simply Live, go to this website: http://www.suite101.com/content/living-with-less-a279107. There are many other sites that can be googled for more information, but this one is a good place to start.
The above writing is absolutely the truth.
ReplyDeleteAnother problem with acquiring financial wealth and possessions is the amount of time one must spend on protecting or hiding your success, for fear it will be stolen from you or swindled away.
I cannot begin to tell you how many business executive friends I know who retired from an enormously successful career, to learn they have been bilked out their fortune after having their nest egg churned from liquid into thin air.
"Oops. All gone!.... you should have known the guy was a crook.... it' your fault for not knowing."
I hope I'm smart enough to exit this life by leaving a small foot print. But chances are I'm not that smart.
Live Simply sounds so easy when you write about it, but after so many years of being so busy with so many "things", it would not be easy for most of us to change. We are a selfish people who want more and more!
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