I was talking to a wise friend recently about her wellbeing. She remarked, “I have everything I need and most of what I want.” That comment has preoccupied me as I have thought about my life.
What one needs and what one wants reminds me of an idea that I came across 40 years ago–the notion of Voluntary Simplicity from Duane Elgin. I have thought about how I can live my life as simply as possible. Sometimes I am successful and other times not.
As Elgin defined it, voluntary simplicity is “a manner of living that is outwardly simple and inwardly rich, … a deliberate choice to live with less in the belief that more life will be returned to us in the process.” Voluntary simplicity is a way of life that rejects high-consumption and a consumer culture. This refusal recognizes that consumptive habits degrade the planet and can be unethical in a world of human need. The meaning of life does not necessarily exist in the accumulation of material things.
I am thinking more about what I need compared to what I want. All of us have basic needs, as Maslow suggested including shelter, food, safety, and meaningful activity. I have those things. I recognize that simple living is a choice that I can make because I have the means to have more if I wanted. Some people practice simple living as their only choice. When people have an adequate income to cover the necessities of life, additional spending is not necessary.
I am trying to balance the acquisition of what I need compared to what I want. I do admit that I don’t need to travel to experience the outdoors, and yet that is something I continue to want and will do in moderation.
I grew up with “Depression Era” parents who planted the idea of frugality. It did not grow quickly. I thought my parents were overly conservative and I wanted the American dream of money and a new car every two years. My attitude began to change when I spent six months in the developing country of Turkey during my mid-twenties. I realized then that I had so much and many of the Turkish rural people I got to know, had little, but were happy.
How much is enough? In retirement, I have time and freedom to pursue goals including community and social engagements, meaningful interactions with friends, intellectual projects, fulfilling volunteerism, spiritual exploration, reading, contemplation, and relaxation. I attempt to live a life of meaning with a sustainable and equitable share of nature. I strive to practice minimalism and functionality and the responsibility uses of natural resources.
I am not espousing a life of poverty or being self-righteous. Everyone has to decide what is important. I am, however, endeavoring to make conscious decisions. I try to resist the consumer culture and the daily messages that having more is always better. It is voluntary and simple, and not easy.