Voluntary simplicity is about freedom. It’s about
owning your own life. It is
being aware of the life you want, what you really need and what it
costs. It is about
understanding that the American Dream asks that you trade your time
(i.e. your life) for money so that you can buy more stuff, that in turn
requires that you trade more of your time (life) to buy a larger home or
more storage for the old stuff or stuff to manage the stuff, but that
ultimately there is no limit to the stuff, no enough, and it ends up
owning you. Voluntary simplicity is knowing what you want from your life
beyond stuff, what you can justify spending or trading for it, and being
happy with that. At its
heart, it shares many of the values of Buddhism—learning to be happy
with less, letting go of unhealthy attachments, and understanding the
value of contemplation, awareness and living in the moment.
© Salahub 2003 |