As I sorted through the books on my too-full shelves, I discovered a very yellowed, stiff book, Voluntary Simplicity. It cracked as I opened it to the first chapter.
I was going through my books to see which ones contained old information that new research invalidates. Those would go in the recycle pile. With all the research on climate change, environmental hazards and the destructive nature of the consumerist culture, this book seemed like old news.
Then I read the first paragraph:
The world is profoundly changing, that much seems clear. We have entered a time of great uncertainty that extends from local to global scale. We are forced by pressing circumstances to ask difficult questions about the way we live our lives: Will my present way of life still be workable when my children go up? How might their lives, and my own, be different? Am I satisfied with my work? Does my work contribute to the well-being of others–or is it just a source of income? How much income do I really require? Require for what? How much of my consumption adds to the clutter and complexity of my life rather than to my satisfaction? How does my level and pattern of consumption affect other people and the environment? …. Am I missing much of the richness of life by being preoccupied with the search for social status and consumer goods? What is my purpose in life? How am I to take charge of my life?1
It feels like the more things change, the more things stay the same. We have advanced so far in so many ways yet we are still asking the same questions about how we live in the world, perhaps even more urgently.
I could see this stall as a sign that hope for a better future is a pipe dream. Or I could see this as, at least, we are still asking. When we keep the questions in our mind, the answers can be found.
Today, I choose the later.
- Elgin, Duane. Voluntary Simplicity: An Ecological Lifestyle that Promotes Persona & Social Renewal. Bantam Book, 1981. Page 1.