Voluntary Simplicity

1
Voluntary Simplicitypracticing mindfulnessin
the act of consuming is the basic act of social
justice

• --Thich Nhat Hanh

2
living simply

• simple living is about living an examined life
• determine what is important, or enough for you
• let go of the rest
• It is not about living in poverty (involuntary
  or self-inflicted)

3
living mindfully

• a manner of living that is
• outwardly simple
• inwardly rich
• --Duane Elgin

4
simple living taught practiced by

• Jesus, Gandhi and other spiritual leaders
• Native Americans indigenous cultures
  self-worth not determined by possessions
• Puritans, Quakers, Amish valued frugality and
  self-reliance
• Thoreau naturalistic vision at Walden Pond
• Emerson plain living and high thinking

5
why live simply?

• your reasons for choosing voluntary simplicity
  can be deeply personal and/or global
• realization that there is more to life
• seeking personal freedom
• for political or social justice
• concern for the environment
• to achieve spiritual growth
• for emotional and/or physical health
• as a challenge

6
is that all there is? Peggy Lee

• consider the impact of your consumption on your
  sense of purpose and happiness
• whoever dies with the most toys is still dead
  what would you really like to do between now and
  then
• would simplifying your life allow you to pursue
  your dreams?
• when look at your credit card statements from a
  year ago, how much of the stuff you are still
  paying for is still worth what it really cost
  you?

7
freedoms just another word for nothing left to
lose Janis Joplin in Me and Bobby McGee

• consider the impact of your consumption on your
  personal freedom
• you dont need marketing propagandists to tell
  you what you want and need you can decide for
  yourself whats important
• keeping up with the Joneses is a game with no
  winners
• is maintaining your lifestyle preventing you from
  saying or doing what you really want to say or do?

8
the less you possess, the less you are
possessed Jeeni

• conspicuous consumption is designed to make you a
  wage slave -- to spend your entire life working
  at something you dont like to pay for stuff you
  dont really want slavery is but the owning
  of labor and carries with it the care of the
  laborers, whilecapital shall control labor by
  controlling wagesby controlling the money The
  Hazard Circular, 1862
• corporations are entities without heart or soul,
  with profit as their the singular purpose.
• corporations are not democratic, they are
  feudalistic
• our best defense is to starve the beast

9
live simply so others may simply live Gandhi

• consider the impact of your consumption on our
  democracy and the people of the world
• Living simply is a powerful lifestyle response to
  social injustices
• consuming less is an act of sharing, an act of
  human solidarity.
• voluntary simplicity could be the model for a
  major transformation in the goals and values of
  the United States and the global community in the
  coming decades

10
living sustainably

• consider the impact of your consumption on the
  earth, and particularly on global warming and our
  limited energy resources
• western consumption habits are not sustainable,
  and certainly not universalizable
• consider the ethics of consumption and
  reevaluate the good life
• simple living is critical to achieving a
  sustainable future for human civilization

11
a sense of balance between the material and
non-material aspects of living

• consider the impact of your consumption on your
  spiritual growth
• spiritual teachers Jesus, Buddha, Lao Tse, St.
  Francis of Assisi taught that true happiness
  cannot be found in material things, but rather in
  unselfishness and love for other people
• voluntary simplicity can facilitate a deeper
  awareness of the spiritual dimension of being

12
restore emotional physical health

• consider the impact of your consumption on your
  quality of life
• freedom to do what you want with your life
• spend less time acquiring things and more time
  acquiring experiences, insights, and
  relationships
• get more involved in your community because you
  can make the time to do it
• gain control of your life

13
the compact a challenge

• a group committed to a 12-month flight from the
  consumer grid (year 2009).
• the Compact has several aims
• to go beyond recycling in trying to counteract
  the negative global environmental and
  socioeconomic impacts of disposable consumer
  culture and to support local businesses, farms,
  etc. -- a step that, inherits the Mayflower
  Compact.
• to reduce clutter and waste in our homes (as in
  trash Compact-er).
• to simplify our lives (as in Calm-pact)

14
how to live simply

• mindful living

15
the mindful consumer

• conscious consumption does not mean shopping for
  the cheapest stuff.
• recycle reuse
• buy second-hand at thrift stores garage sales
• dont buy it make it or do without
• avoid big-box stores
• look for energy efficient biodegradable
• choose hand crafted, durable, esthetically
  enduring over mass-produced items

Is it worth x hours of work to buy this? If youd
rather spend those x hours doing something else,
instead of earning funds for the purchase, dont
buy it, because time is better than money.
16
mindful eating

• buy foods in bulk use your own containers
• shop at farmers markets and farm stands
• subscribe to a CSA
• buy organic whenever possible
• eat vegetarian
• buy locally grown food in season
• compost kitchen scraps and grow your own a
  vegetable garden or participate in a community
  garden
• pack a lunch avoid fast-food restaurants

Learn to cook simple meals and go back to whole
grains and legumes that can be purchased in bulk.
Dont pay for packaging and advertising.
17
mindful finances

• live below your means, keep a budget
• get out of debt
• be creative in how you earn money earn money
  doing odd jobs, strive to be self-employed
• pursue work that is meaningful to you, rather
  than what earns the most money
• dont support businesses that promote war,
  destroy the environment or abuse human rights
  dont work for them, dont invest in them, dont
  buy from them

18
mindful home

• get rid of all excess clutter and unnecessary
  possessions.
• live in the smallest possible space. Figure up
  all the square footage in your home being used
  for storage of your stuff and then realize that
  you are paying a monthly premium in utilities,
  rent and mortgage payments just to keep a roof
  over it all.
• use less electricity, water, plastic
• open the windows and use a fan instead of an air
  conditioner

Each thing owned takes a measure of spirit from
the owner and when you give it away, a full
measure of spirit and power is returned to the
givers body. Black Elk
19
mindful commuting

• consider living without a car, or if your family
  has more than one car go down to one
  fuel-efficient car that you use only when
  necessary.
• take public transportation whenever possible
• ride a bike or walk
• car pool rideshare

20
mindful independence

• seek to be more self-determining and less
  dependent upon large, complex institutions
  whether in the private or public sector
• seek to become more self-sufficient
• grow your own
• make your own
• do without,

This aspect of voluntary simplicity is inspiring
coalitions between the right and left -- where
neither support the further intrusion of big
institutions into their lives, but rather wish
for greater local self-determination.
21
mindful about our environment

• a sense of ecological awareness which
  acknowledges the interconnectedness and
  interdependence of people and resources is
  central to voluntary simplicity.
• ecological awareness prompts recognition that our
  earth is indeed limited, with all that implies
• conservation of physical resources
• reduction of environmental pollution
• maintenance of the beauty and integrity of the
  natural environment

22
mindful global citizenship

• expand your vision outward with a sense of social
  responsibility and worldly involvement to what
  otherwise could be a self-centered way of life
• a willingness to share resources with those who
  are disadvantaged
• a sense of global citizenship with commensurate
  adjustments in lifestyle and political
  commitments
• a preference for living where there is ready
  access to nature
• a desire to foster human and institutional
  diversity

Practice sarvodaya -- not wanting what the least
of the inhabitants of this earth cannot have.
23
mindful personal growth

• clearing away external clutter leaves you freer
  to explore the "inner life"
• simple living sweeps away impediments to inner
  growth
• free yourself of the overwhelming externals so as
  to provide the space in which to grow -- both
  psychologically and spiritually

"Life is occupied in both perpetuating itself and
in surpassing itself if all it does is maintain
itself, then living is only not dying. --Simone
de Beauvoir
24
"To live in small ways as if each day were
sacred, may be as important as trying to
change our institutions and laws without the
change in daily behavior, there will be no
energy for the bigger issues, Because we simply
won't care." --Cecile Andrews, 1997