What Happens When The Simple Life Chooses You?
And you give up an acquisitive mindset.
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Some of us didn’t set out to choose the simple life, it chose us. Living simply doesn’t mean moving into a log cabin in the middle of a forest or a Buddhist retreat in the centre of a city. It means eliminating excess from your life. Living this way might make you appear ‘different’ from others as you refuse to keep up with the competitive culture of having the latest gadgets and expensive holidays.
Just before lockdown, newly divorced, I moved into a tiny house and put many of my belongings in storage. I wasn’t planning to be in this little house for more than six months, while I looked around for something more permanent. Then lockdowns came into our lives and changed everything. Moving house was not possible during this pandemic and I became settled here.
There have been too many house moves over the last few years, and I just wanted to stay put to write, paint, and sort out my head and heart. Moving disrupts creativity. Then the simple life became a necessity, one I was happy to embrace.
Ignoring the pressures to compete with the in-crowd brings peace of mind. The simple life frees you from the trappings of the capitalist society that dominates. Being frugal in a world that wants you to buy more is satisfying. Moderation in everything is important.
Having more social media friends doesn’t imply we have quality relationships. Fewer means more in this respect. Our mental health will benefit from having a few friends who are emotionally close, care about us, and whom we value, rather than a hundred ‘friends’ we don’t know and never see.
I have over a hundred Facebook ‘friends’ who are artists or people who share my politics, and some friends and family. My handful of close friends are not on Facebook, I find their company and support invaluable.
Buddhism teaches minimalism and non-attachment as core principles. These principles apply not only to material things but also to our state of mind. Owning stuff can give us status, but giving up what we do not need or find of aesthetic value can result in a calm state of mind.
Getting rid of things we don’t need in drawers, cupboards and wardrobes is a good start to decluttering for a minimalist life. Ask yourself for each item, do I use this? Do I need it? If not donate it to a charity shop, sell it or recycle it. When you have emptied storage space, such as drawers and cupboards, don’t refill them but donate, sell or recycle the storage unit. That way you won’t be tempted to fill it again. Now you are reducing furniture as well as stuff, and making space.
Things you bought when you were a different version of yourself but no longer use because you’ve moved on, such as defunct hobby items and clothes that no longer make you feel ‘you’ should be donated, sold or recycled. Buying for hobbies can become a hobby in itself. Giving up possessions is difficult because you feel a connection with them but if you emotionally detach from them (as I did with my books) it will make it easier.
Having fewer possessions, fewer obligations and less clutter gives us more control and serenity. Living this way reduces stress and helps our bank balance, as we don’t spend so much. Eliminating activities we don’t need gives us time for more meaningful pursuits from which we gain pleasure and purpose.
The company storing my goods and chattels informed me earlier this year that they were moving to another town and increasing their prices. I knew it was time to bring all my stuff out of storage and decide what to do with it. I sold some, gave some away, and found room for the rest. Much of it was art materials, unsold paintings, and many, too many books.
I sorted through all the books, and though it pained me, I had to be practical and get rid of most of them. You can use online websites to enter the ISBNs of your books and receive an offer if they are valuable. I packed up the ones to sell and arranged a collection of the boxes. Of course, I didn’t sell them all. I donated those I couldn’t keep or sell to my local community arts centre for their annual fund-raising book sale.
I may have a book addiction though as my collection is growing again. I’ve tried audiobooks, but it is the physical connection with the object containing the words that’s the allure. It can’t be a Kindle either. It has to be a traditional book. I’ve decided to write a memoir of my childhood, which means I need to read some examples of the work of other writers, so I’ve added two more books this week. There’s always a reason to buy more books.
Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful – William Morris
We can become so attached to a point of view that when new information or facts arise, we refuse to accept them because it requires us to change our minds. This happens with conspiracy theories. Science has shown that when people accept a theory as truth but later discover it is untrue, many choose to cling to the false theory instead of changing their perspective. Avoiding this closed-mindedness and being open and flexible, willing to take on board new information that challenges our assumptions but is undeniably true, benefits our self-growth.
The root of suffering is attachment. The Buddha
Living a simple life extends to what we wear - we don’t need to buy the latest fast fashion. Capitalism requires us to buy new but we don’t have to. Ignore the big corporations that pay their workers next to nothing to produce the clothes they sell for big profits. Choosing to buy our clothes from charity shops and online pre-loved sales outlets means giving up involvement in exploiting workers and helping the charities involved.
Minimalism and simplicity are liberating and beneficial to our mental and physical health. Rejecting the consumerist society reduces stress. Slowing down our lives and ditching clutter can bring us peace. Eating healthily, ensuring we exercise regularly, enjoying close friendships, and eschewing the rat race will bring serenity and happiness to our lives, no matter our age. I didn’t choose the simple life five years ago but it was something I’d been considering for a while, so when it happened during the pandemic, I welcomed it and didn’t regret it.
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Does the simple life appeal to you?
Perhaps you’ve already started the process.
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This reminds me of one of the Five Remembrances - "my actions are my only true belongings..."
A good friend shared how she has been focusing on this particular remembrance as she gets rid of physical belongings in order to move to a new country.
Life has a way of listening to what we choose, temporary, permanent, these are just notions of time. I love how time played with your choices, and feel for you in the letting go of books, so so many books, stacked two deep on shelves in every room, this will be a big letting go.