Not too long ago, there lived people whose lives consisted in raising food, raising children, and raising a roof over their heads. In this far away life, the greatest stresses that they had to endure were:
- Would the food they preserved and stored be enough to last them through winter?
- Would disease, injury, or accident take one of their own?
- Would natural disasters or war destroy their property or their homeland, thus their way of life?
- Would their wells run dry?
There were always family, friends, community, and churches to rely on and to help them through hard times. Those who could not survive would die, leaving room for others to take their place on the planet. There were no medical interventions such as life support systems, no Social Security benefits, no welfare, no unemployment benefits, and no technological advancements which put sticks in the cogs of human morality and ethics.
Life was simple…
People lived and died, and those who lived back then were not afraid of encountering either one. They lived hard lives, but fulfilled them with amazing accomplishments with survival skills and architectural wonders that have not been able to be duplicated since. And they didn’t run from death or hard work.
Man lived fulfilled. He kept his sense of wonder. His eyes were focused on the hereafter, not on the here and now.
His life was simple. Man’s focus was simple. And his Faith was simple. The world spun around throughout history watching man run his course of simple living.
Man essentially has not changed since he first dotted the landscape at the beginning of creation. He still worries about survival. How much food does he have? Can he keep the roof over his head? Does he have enough to bear out the hard times? Does he have what it takes to raise healthy children? Will a disaster befall him leaving him destitute?
What has changed?
The concerns remain the same. It is what man deems necessary to survive that have changed.
A while back, someone wrote that electricity has taken the place of water in our modern life. Without it, life as we currently know it would perish. Yet if it were gone, we would not die.
Unlike being without water.
As I sit here at my computer composing this article, I have to agree somewhat with that idea. After all, what did we do when we did not have computers to instantly be in touch friends and relatives? How did we get our news? Where did we find out how to do anything?
[W]hat did we do when we did not have computers?
We have forgotten what it was like before we sent instant messages, emails, Instagrams, or Tweets. Facebook and YouTube have replaced our ability to learn from another human being face-to-face. Video conferencing and video chats have replaced the human touch. Electronic mail (Email) and texting have replaced snail mail and phone calls.
Emergency communications alert us through our cell phones to approaching bad weather, kidnapped children, and disasters anywhere around the globe within minutes of any event.
And heaven knows what we’d do without our central heating, air conditioning, and refrigerators! Man no longer is beholden to the whims of weather.
Personal realization…
As I rapidly approached a time in my life where I no longer held a steady paycheck, I realized that our society has changed its priority from electricity to money. In our current society, money, more that just electricity, truly makes our world operate. Without it, man cannot even purchase food or seeds let alone the water and planting mediums to produce his own food. He depends upon grocery stores, deep freezers, and refrigerators to keep meats and vegetables over the long term.
And without money, he has no means to pay for the electricity to run these storage units.
Without money, he is unable to keep the roof over his head. Even if his house is paid for, there are taxes to pay. Unpaid taxes results in no roof over one’s head.
And what would he do if he didn’t have enough money to own, operate, and repair his modern means of transportation? Even a bicycle needs to be kept up, and shoes must be replaced if walking is the only option.
The modern dilemma…
Let’s not forget how modern man deals with the unexpected events that occur in our lives.
A person has to pay for various types of insurance to help him restore his house, vehicle, or belongings should something befall them. And he also must have enough to pay for any deductible when a disaster actually strikes.
And that’s only if the insurance policy would even pay out to cover the loss.
The yearning inside all of us…
In spite of all this, there is still a yearning inside each man to live the simple life for which he was made.
Humans are now enduring other stresses never before encountered in the entire history of mankind. They feel the weariness of just keeping up with the demands of every day life.
it is no wonder that man has lost the ability or even time to fulfill his deepest yearning
The pressures of living beyond his means through constant bombardment of advertising. He lives in overcrowded conditions (such as apartment and condos high-rises, or high-density subdivision), often driving for hours far from his home through nightmare traffic jams just to find an affordable place to live.
With the added fear of losing their job, it is no wonder that man has lost the ability or even time to fulfill his deepest yearning: to live a truly simple life.
Can man truly achieve a simple lifestyle living in these demanding, modern times?
Yes. And others just like you and me have done just that.
But it is not without sacrifice.
Living a simple life means to live simply inside the context of one’s ideals. It means that one must live purely, in tune with nature, the seasons, and the foods which are most perfectly fitted to his physical makeup.
Simple living consists of starting out each day with thanksgiving, then living each moment of life in gratitude.
It means that one needs to take time to stop and smell the flowers. To work in the garden and feel the dirt between their fingers. To sit still and listen to the sounds of nature – the birds, a running brook, the crashing of thunder.
Above, to set aside time to sit in silence.
No TV, no distractions, no books, no telephones. no computers.
To live a simple life is, in reality…well…simple.
But the practical application sometimes gets lost in the fogginess of a busy day.
The contrast of a normal workday…
The start of a typical workday is to rush to get ready for work, beat the rush hour traffic, and scarf down a form of breakfast before running out the door.
By noon, there is no time to eat an unhurried lunch and just rest. It is a rushed time set aside by busy employers to allow their employees an opportunity to physically refuel and get immediately back to the grind of work.
From the start of the day until coming home exhausted every night, there never seems to be enough time in the day to live one moment in silence and peace.
By the time night comes around, this same person is too worn out from the pressures of the day to do anything but grab a fast food or frozen microwaved dinner, or cold sandwich and site before a mind-numbing television show or video game.
He then stumbles into bed, forgetting to recharge his spiritual and emotional batteries, and falls into a fitful sleep. And he awakens to repeat the same routine early the next morning, exhausted from the routine of trying to keep up with all life demands of him.
From the start of the day until coming home exhausted every night, there never seems to be enough time in the day to live one moment in silence and peace.
In every moment of time, modern man is constantly trying to chase the dream of better income, a work-related project, someone else’s dream without any chance of living for himself. He loses his way and ends up losing himself in the process of busyness.
But what of the simple man?
The simple man lives within his means, and spends less than he earns. He doesn’t borrow to gain, and gives more than he gets.
That is the secret to living in peace and simplicity.
He is his own boss allowing for more flexibility. He may not make much money, but he isn’t pressured to buy what he doesn’t really need.
And he sets aside time to be in stillness and silence.
The simple existence breathes back life into the soul. It allows flexibility to spend recharging the spiritual, physical, and emotional batteries.
So what is the secret to living the simple life?
It is learning to let go of wants in favor of needs.
The needs of man are really very few: food, shelter, clothing, and a sense of belonging. Man doesn’t need the newest car, toy, technological gadget, or other advertised piece of material obsession on the market or in the stores. And he doesn’t need any impulse purchases for that fleeting dopamine rush it brings.
That is the secret to living in peace and simplicity.