Just a short note to bring your attention to a free, audio lecture by leading ’simple living’ advocate, Mark Burch, which is available for download here.

It is an insightful and eloquent overview of the idea of voluntary simplicity, particularly useful because of the thoughtful questions posed by members of audience at the end of the lecture, to which Mark responds. I warmly recommend this lecture as a very enjoyable and uplifting way to spend an hour one evening.

Thanks to Mark for advancing the cause.

In simplicity,
Samuel Alexander

More than anything else, baking bread at home is evocative of the simple life, a symbol of simplicity. Why is this? Perhaps part of the reason is that it is a step towards self-sufficiency. We live in a world that is increasingly being sucked into ‘the market,’ where almost everything can be provided for us, if the price is right. But the more we rely on the market, the more we give up our independence, the more we forget how to do things for ourselves. Bread is a basic part of most people’s diets. If we can make bread ourselves, why don’t more people do it? Especially since nothing tastes or smells better than a freshly baked loaf.

The response some may give is: we just don’t have time! This leads on to a second reason bread making is evocative of the simple life. The world is getting faster, louder, more frantic. We only have so much time in the day, and increasingly there is pressure to pay someone else to do something we can do perfectly well ourselves, just to save time. But save time for what? When we get so busy that we don’t have time for the simple things, what is all the business for? Simple living is many things to many people, but part of it seems to be about rethinking how we spend not only our money, but our time. Finding time to bake bread isn’t just about not having to buy it. For many people the very process of kneeding the bread can be therapeutic, a natural way of slowing down the mind and soul, of getting back in touch with our most basic needs.

In any case, baking bread doesn’t actually take that long. Although the process has various phases, it can easily fit into the daily routine (e.g. starting in the evening, continuing in the morning, baking in the evening).

If anyone has any questions, tips, special receipes, etc., hopefully this post can serve as a forum…

In simplicity,
Samuel Alexander

http://cdn.raamdev.com/ebooks/small-ways-big-difference.pdf

Simple Living Workshop on Breadmaking: I have organized for some master breadmakers to run a short workshop on breadmaking this coming Saturday 31 July from 2.30pm. Due to limitations of space, the numbers are limited to the first 15 who confirm their attendance (please only confirm if you are sure you can make it). The venue will be in Coburg (details to come). Cooking materials will be provided. A short discussion session will follow the workshop for those interested.

Hope to hear from some of you…

In simplicity,
Samuel Alexander

Simplicity of living also found many advocates among the great philosophers of ancient Greece and Rome, the Cynics and the Stoics, in particular. In one of the most radical expressions of simplicity, Diogenes the Cynic (described by Plato as ‘Socrates gone mad’ ) voluntarily embraced a life of poverty to show by example that a free and meaningful life could not be measured by conventional accounts of wealth. It is said that Alexander the Great – the richest and most powerful person in the world at the time – approached Diogenes and offered to supply him with anything he needed, to which Diogenes responded by asking Alexander to stand out of his sunlight. Recognizing that all his wealth and power meant absolutely nothing to Diogenes, Alexander ponderously announced: ‘If I were not Alexander, I should wish to be Diogenes.’ Less extreme were the Stoics, such as Epictetus, Marcus Aurelius, and Seneca, who advocated disciplined and thoughtful moderation rather than poverty. In various ways the Stoics argued that, while a person cannot always be in control of how much worldly wealth and fame they attain, they are in control of the attitudes they adopt in relation to such things. True contentment, on this account, lies not in getting what one wants but in wanting what one has. In a representative statement of Stoicism, Seneca insisted that ‘the man who adapts himself to his slender means and makes himself wealthy on a little sum, is the truly rich man.’

Leaping forward to the Victorian era in England we find passionate support for simple living in the works of the great ‘moralists,’ John Ruskin and William Morris. Ruskin refused to treat money as a neutral meeting place of mere exchange and instead highlighted the ways in which the social and environmental consequences of consumption were pushed out of sight by the obscuring distances of a money economy. Ruskin urged consumers to recognize that material things are worthwhile only to the extent that they further some worthwhile end, all things considered, a perspective encapsulated in his maxim, ‘There is no wealth but life.’ William Morris developed this line of thought in important ways, drawing particular attention to how consumption is always dependent upon labour. Morris suggested that huge reductions in ‘useless toil’ could be achieved if people were only wise enough to reduce their consumption of ‘those articles of folly and luxury.’ The Bohemians in Europe, on the other hand, tended to live simple lives for the sake of their art and for pleasure. Quite different again are the Amish, the Trappist monks, and the Quakers, who exemplify varieties of the simple life grounded upon religious belief. In the twentieth century, towering figures such as Gandhi, Lenin, Tolstoy, and Mother Teresa all lived lives of great material simplicity.

Given that the U.S. is the birthplace of modern consumerism it might surprise some to discover that in fact it has always had an undercurrent of ‘plain living and high thinking.’ In the mid-nineteenth century there were the fascinating versions of the simple life articulated by the New England Transcendentalists, that colourful groups of poets, mystics, social reformers, and philosophers (including Henry Thoreau) who lived on modest means in order to afford the luxury of creativity and contemplation. As leading Transcendentalist, Ralph Waldo Emerson, asserted, ‘It is better to go without than to have possessions at too great a cost.’ Other early American’s highlighted the tension between profiteering and civic virtue, and insisted on the close connection between simple living and a flourishing democracy. There were also the warnings of Benjamin Franklin, who railed against consumers thoughtlessly going into debt: ‘What Madness must it be to run into debt for these Superfluities! … think what you do when you turn in Debt; you give another power over your liberty… Preserve your Freedom; and maintain your Independency: … be frugal and free.’ In more recent times, President Carter advocated material restraint on the grounds that ‘owning things and consuming things does not satisfy our longing for meaning.’ Referring to ‘a crisis of spirit,’ he felt that the worship of ‘self-indulgence and consumption’ was based on ‘a mistaken idea of freedom.’

What could be called the ‘modern’ simplicity movement is typically traced back to the 1981 publication of Duane Elgin’s book on the subject. It is, however, somewhat arbitrary to take that as a starting point given that the American and European counter-cultures of the 1960s and 70s had deep anti-consumerist and environmentalist sentiments which cannot be easily distinguished from the notion of simple living. This is especially so with respect to the so-called ‘back-to-the-land’ movement of that era, exemplified by the inspired lives of Helen and Scott Nearing. Other significant figures in the modern movement include Joe Dominguez, who was one of the first to try to organize a campaign for simple living and who published with Vicki Robin a best-selling book about frugality and money management called Your Money or Your Life. There is also Cecile Andrews, whose name is associated with ‘simplicity circles,’ the term sometimes given to small groups of people who meet to informally discuss and explore simple living. Also deserving of mention is the inspirational and challenging example of Jim Merkel, who had a crisis of conscience in the late 1980s and ever since has been living a life of radical simplicity as well as writing about it with insight and grace. Some of the leading academic spokespeople for the movement today include Amitai Etzioni, Juliet Schor, Jerome Segal, and Mary Grigsby, among many others. Less well known, but in this author’s opinion one of the most eloquent advocates of simplicity, is Mark Burch. There is also a vast body of non-scholarly work on the subject as well as a growing number of ‘how to’ guides.

Even from this short survey it is clear that historically, both within America and beyond, people have simplified their lives to engage in a variety of enriching pursuits, including philosophy, religious devotion, artistic creation, hedonism, revolutionary or democratic politics, humanitarian service, and ecological activism.

There is, and the link below provides an inspiring introduction to it in the form of a short film. The film argues that through a voluntary reduction of our economic activity we can work less, consume less, and live happier, fuller, and greener lives. Many have been pointing out that our current economic system is leading us to an environmental and social catastrophe. “Life after Growth” begins to point to the people and communities who are looking for ways to do things differently. These are the pioneers who are rethinking the role of economics in our lives, and notions of of voluntary simplicity feature prominently. I highly recommend the film as an inspiring way to spend twenty minutes.

http://www.vimeo.com/10871269 (written, directed, shot, and edited by Leah Temper and Claudia Medina)

For the Melbourne members, and on a related noted, Tim Jackson, author of “Prosperity without Growth” is speaking in Carlton on Friday evening, from 5.30-7pm. For those interested, details below.

http://www.sustainable.unimelb.edu.au/content/pages/free-public-lecturepanel-discussion-prof-tim-jackson-prosperity-without-growth

In simplicity,
Samuel Alexander
www.simplicitycollective.com

One of the most important lessons I got out of last night was how unanticipated some of the delights of simple living can be. In many different ways, its seems that giving up a materialistic good can lead to some greater non-materialistic return, whether it be in time, community, or something else. The simple act of sharing something with neighbours rather than each ‘having their own’ is a perfect example. Which community is richer? The one where each has their own? Or the community that has less but shares? The answer seems clear.

The other theme that reoccurred last night was that simple living isn’t particularly simple. It’s all very well to be intellectually or ethically convinced of its merits; it’s all very well to have known the delights of simplicity and to recognize that the simple life is the good life. But it is a fact that Western-style culture makes simple living much more difficult than it needs to be. I don’t think there is any quick fix solution to the problem of a consumerist ’social structure’ and I am not exactly sure what a social structure which encouraged simpler living would look like. But it is an important point to consider, I think. Why is it that those of us who seek a simpler life sometimes, often perhaps, find ourselves ‘locked-in’ to a consumerist way of life? Perhaps that’ll be a good topic for discussion at the next workshop. It seems to me that the very act of coming together to explore such issues is part of the solution, if only to show that there is a growing interest in a simpler way of living beyond consumer culture. That alone is affirming and may be an encouragement to continue the struggle for a simpler way.

Thanks also to those who have contributed their musing to my last post on “What does the simple life mean to you?” I find all the posts enlightening and would encourage more of you offer your stories / insights. Putting them into words may not only affirm your own conception of the simple life, I am sure your words will also help affirm and develop other peoples. Hope to hear from more of you soon.

In simplicity,
Samuel Alexander
L.P.S.C.

Please share your perspective by spending some time writing a sentence, a paragraph, a page, whatever. Please post a ‘comment’ on this post. Hope to hear from you soon.

Samuel Alexander
L.P.S.C.

– Victor Hugo

 THE SOCIAL SIGNIFICANCE OF VOLUNTARY SIMPLICITY

Samuel Alexander

(Speech made for Sustainability Week, Melbourne University, 22^nd March 2010)

Hello everyone, good to be with you today to recognize and celebrate Sustainability Week. What strikes me most about Sustainability Week is how bluntly it reminds us what the other 51 weeks are called. Perhaps next year we should organize two Sustainability Weeks, four the year after, then eight, then sixteen, and so forth. Hopefully a time would come when formally recognizing Sustainability Weeks, as such, would be unnecessary, since the message would have entered ‘commonsense’ and no longer be in need of promotion; just as today nobody thinks of organizing an Unsustainability Week to promote today’s ‘commonsense.’

This clash of worldviews, however, presents us with something of a paradox. There is only supposed to be one ‘commonsense,’ according to convention, since the term implies a set of assumptions which is shared ‘in common,’ assumptions that are so obvious, so sensible, that they typically go without saying. But it seems that we live in age in which there are two versions of ‘commonsense,’ two sets of assumptions that are in conflict, each trying to dissolve the other. This is dividing our world into two camps, and the metaphor of war, I would suggest, is not inappropriate. There are those who genuinely seek sustainability and the radical changes that this necessarily implies, and there are those who are just continuing the march, ‘business as usual.’ It should come as no surprise that this division is affecting old ways of thinking about the world and our place in it. Some are even suggesting that traditional political oppositions are breaking down, such that politics can no longer be divided into the Left and the Right but only into those parties which genuinely care for ecology, and the predators.

Though that may well be true, things of course are more complicated. It’s no good having an environmentally sustainable society if it is socially unsustainable; just as it is no good having a socially sustainable society if it is environmentally unsustainable; worst of all is when a society is neither socially nor environmentally sustainable. Evidence is emerging that many Western societies have fallen or are falling into that last category. I mention this because the term sustainability is sometimes assumed to relate only to the environment, when in fact it has a much wider application. I was invited to speak today on the ‘social’ aspects sustainability and I would like to thank the organizers for suggesting this topic, because it is an important reminder that sustainability, as I have just noted, is not solely about how we relate to the environment; it is also about how we relate to each other, how we live our lives as social creatures, and that is the theme which I will be exploring this afternoon; at least, for the next ten or fifteen minutes.

The title of my talk today is ‘The Social Significance of Voluntary Simplicity,’ and let me begin by offering a definition of the central idea.

 I. What is Voluntary Simplicity?

Voluntary simplicity is an oppositional living strategy that rejects the materialistic lifestyles of consumer culture and affirms what is often just called ‘the simple life,’ or ‘downshifting.’ The rejection of consumerism arises from the recognition that ordinary Western-style consumption habits are destroying the planet; that lives of high consumption are unethical in a world of great human need; and that the meaning of life does not and cannot consist in the consumption or accumulation of material things. Extravagance and acquisitiveness are therefore considered to be undeserving of the social status and admiration they seem to attract today. The affirmation of simplicity arises from the recognition that very little is needed to live well – that abundance is a state of mind, not a quantity of consumer products or attainable through them.

Sometimes called ‘the quiet revolution,’ this approach to life involves providing for material needs as simply and directly as possible, minimizing expenditure on consumer goods and services, and directing progressively more time and energy towards pursuing non-materialistic sources of satisfaction and meaning. This generally means accepting a lower income and a lower level of consumption, in exchange for more time and freedom to pursue other life goals. The grounding assumption of voluntary simplicity is that all human beings have the potential to live meaningful, free, happy, and infinitely diverse lives, while consuming no more than an equitable share of nature. Ancient but ever-new, the message is that those who know they have enough are rich.

According to this view, personal and social progress is measured not by the conspicuous display of wealth or status, but by increases in the qualitative richness of daily living, the cultivation of relationships, and the development of social, intellectual, aesthetic, and spiritual potentials. As Duane Elgin has famously 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 does not, however, mean living in poverty, becoming an ascetic monk, or indiscriminately renouncing all the advantages of science and technology. It does not involve regressing to a primitive state or becoming a self-righteous puritan. And it is not some escapist fad reserved for saints, hippies, or eccentric outsiders. Rather, by examining afresh our relationship with money, material possessions, the planet, ourselves and each other, ‘the simple life’ of voluntary simplicity is about discovering the freedom and contentment that comes with knowing how much consumption is truly ‘enough.’ And this might be a theme that has something to say to everyone, especially those of us who are everyday bombarded with thousands of cultural messages insisting that ‘more is always better.’ Voluntary simplicity is an art of living that is aglow with the insight that ‘just enough is plenty.’

What will be clear from this definition is that voluntary simplicity is a way of life that is very different from the materialistic lifestyles widely celebrated in consumer cultures today. In those cultures, including our own, it is often assumed that more money is the path to increased well-being, since with more money we can presumably satisfy more of our desires by purchasing consumer goods and services. If that is true then voluntary simplicity, by trying to do with less money and consumption, seems hopelessly misguided as a living strategy. I propose, however, that it is not misguided at all.

Many ancient wisdom traditions, both ‘philosophical’ and ‘religious,’ tell us that materialistic values can have a caustic effect on our lives and our societies, that focusing on attaining material possessions and social renown can detract from what is meaningful about life. Tim Kasser has recently explored the science beneath such ancient wisdom in his text, The High Price of Materialism. He shows that, ‘People who are highly focused on materialistic values [i.e. people who orientate their lives around the acquisition of money, fame, and image] have lower personal well-being and psychological health than those who believe that materialistic pursuits are relatively unimportant.’ If this is true, as the weight of evidence suggests it is, our consumerist age is inculcating us with values that are not conducive to our well-being. Indeed, when people and societies follow materialistic values and organize their lives around attaining superfluous wealth and possessions, ‘they are essentially wasting their time as far as well-being is concerned. By concentrating on such a profitless style of life, they leave themselves little opportunity to pursue goals that could fulfill their needs and improve the quality of their lives.’

Whatever it is that makes life meaningful, then, research and perhaps our intuition tells us that it is not the limitless consumption of goods and services. Yale Professor, Robert Lane in  his review of the evidence expresses the idea as follows: ‘the richer the society and its individuals become, the less purchasable are the things that brings them happiness­ – although they may still pursue wealth with their accustomed vigor.’ And continuing the pursuit seems to be the way of consumer cultures. ‘The sad truth is that when people feel the emptiness of either material success or failure, they often persist in thinking that more will be better, and thus continue to strive for what will never make them happy.’

The point of these comments is to suggest that living a life of voluntary simplicity and deliberately trying to consume less is not the crazy idea it might first have seemed to be. On the contrary, both state-of-the-art science and ancient wisdom traditions suggest that living simply may actually be the secret to fulfillment. With that in mind, I am now in a position to return to our subject of sustainability and bring my talk to a head.

 II. The Social Significance of Voluntary Simplicity

 Our planet urgently needs us to explore alternative ways to live, and one promising way to lessen our impact on Nature is to reject the high-impact lifestyles of consumer cultures and voluntarily embrace ‘a simpler life’ of reduced consumption. Without any doubt, there would be huge environmental benefits if Western societies deliberately set about reducing their consumption. In fact, it is probably fair to say that to achieve an environmentally sustainable society, it will be necessary for us to reduce our consumption. But my focus today is not on the ecological benefits of living simply, great though there are. My focus instead is on how the pursuit of money and consumption is not the path to personal and social well-being and how there may be huge rewards – personal, social, and ecological – if people are able to step out of the rush and escape the rat race. A few words will suffice to make my central point.

It’s all very well to dream of a life of high consumption. Perhaps it would be nice to live in a mansion, drive a flash car, travel luxuriously, wear high fashion clothing, eat at expensive restaurants, own all the new gadgets, and enjoy the dubious social status that all this might bring, etc. But what is easy to forget is that the more we consume the more of our lives we have to spend earning the money needed to pay for that consumption. And we must always be cognizant of that kind of trade off. If that consumption doesn’t even lead to life satisfaction, then consumerism is a despairing waste of life.

If people were to live simpler lives of reduced consumption, however, they wouldn’t need to dedicate so much of their lives to the pursuit of ‘nice things,’ and this would free up more time and energy for the pursuit of other, more fulfilling goals. Just imagine, for a moment, if voluntary simplicity entered the mainstream and took hold at the societal level. With less time dedicated to the pursuit of money and material possessions, millions of people would have more time and energy for other life goals, such as social and community engagements, family time, artistic or intellectual projects, more fulfilling employment, political participation, sustainable living, spiritual exploration, reading, conversation, contemplation, relaxation, pleasure-seeking, love, and so on – none of which need to rely on money, or much money. The social significance of such a cultural shift would be truly profound. Victor Hugo once said, ‘There is nothing more powerful than an idea whose time has come.’ It’s hard to be confident, but just perhaps voluntary simplicity is such an idea.

To conclude, it seems that in affluent Western societies today getting richer has generally stopped making people any happier. A huge body of social research confirms this, and that research simply confirms what many ancient wisdoms traditions have been insisting for millennia. It should trouble us, therefore, that our culture is geared towards maximizing wealth or maximizing GDP. As the great ‘simple liver’ Henry David Thoreau would say, we ‘labor under a mistake.’ Fortunately, however, the mistake of consumerism is not the only way to live. Voluntary simplicity presents an alternative that is both socially and ecologically sustainable, and it is an alternative which I believe we should take seriously, today more than ever  before. If anybody is interested in learning more about voluntary simplicity or joining the social movement, there is a good website with lots of free information at www.simplicitycollective.com.

Thanks very much.

The Sustainable Living Festival is always an inspiring and energizing few days. It was great to be representing the Voluntary Simplicity Movement and it was great to have received so much support from the Melbourne public. More on the Festival below, but before saying anything further, as those signed up will be aware, I haven’t been updating this website recently. Instead, I’ve been sending emails direct, while the website is being redesigned. Though it’s been a while in the making, I am told the website is close to completion, so watch this space! When the new site is up and running, it should make it easier, first, to post new messages, and second, for all members of the Simplicity Collective to share their own ideas. Hope to hear from you soon…

Anyway, the over the last few days the Simplicity Collective had an exhibiton down at Federation Square as part of the Sustainable Living Festival. Well over 100 new members signed up. Welcome to you all! Thanks a million to those who were able to lend a hand handing our flyers and sitting at the table. Also, it was wonderful catching up with all those who were able to drop by and say hello. Great talking with you. Some of you asked for a transcript of the speech I made, entitled “Just Enough is Plenty: Thoreau’s Alternative Economics” so I’ll happily send that out in my next email – today or tomorrow.

As our Collective enters its second year, my hopes are as follows: (1) That the Collective continues to be a hub for simple livers in Melbourne and beyond; (2) That the Collective continues to be a source of information on simplicity and that we can share information among all those who are interested; (3) and that the Collective continues to develop into a social network.

On that final point, over the weekend and in recent emails, members of the Collective, new and old, have indicated to me that they would be interested in meeting up for a social gathering. I’ll get something organinzed and be in touch in coming weeks.

Ok, I’ll send out an email to you all soon. For those coming to the website for the first time and want to sign up, please send an email asking to be on the mailing list to simplicitycollective@gmail.com.

In simplicity,

Samuel Alexander

THE LIFE POETS’ SIMPLICITY COLLECTIVE

WELCOME LIFE POETS!

NEWS IN BRIEF:

• Voluntary Simplicity Documentary (Wednesday) – The showing of the voluntary simplicity documentary was delayed one week and is now showing this Wednesday 29 April 2009, 9.30pm, Channel 31’s Plug In TV Show. The documentary will also be posted online in due course. Location, to be advised. A 30-second trailer is currently available for viewing at www.vimeo.com/4259291. I would like to take this opportunity to express my deepest thanks to Amir Dervic and Tanja Capic, the inspired team at No Way Productions, for their vision and enthusiasm in making this progressive documentary, and for so creatively helping to advance the voluntary simplicity movement. The world needs more oppositional artists like Amir and Tanja! Congratulations to them.
• Life Poets’ Promote Voluntary Simplicity at the Melbourne Social Forum – Our Collective provided a workshop/seminar at the Melbourne Social Forum which ran from Friday 17-19 April 2009. It was a great success, drawing much attention and many new members interested in exploring simplicity signed up. Special thanks to De Chantal Hillis for organizing and running the event in my absence. For more information on the Melbourne Social Forum see: www.melbournesocialforum.org.
• Voluntary Simplicity Radio Discussion (Upcoming) – Monday 4 May, 3WBC, 94.1FM, Wonderful World Media Network, ‘Sustainable Lifestyles Show,’ 6.05pm-6.45pm. The interview will eventually be posted online at www.wonderfulworldmedia.net.
• Affluenza (The Song) – The new song ‘Affluenza’ by Senses of Walden has been receiving some radio play. It is also the soundtrack to the documentary (see above). ‘Affluenza,’ which expresses themes relevant to voluntary simplicity, is attached to this email. Have a listen! (Will sound best through headphones.)
• The Politics of Voluntary Simplicity promoted at Auckland Law School at the ‘Conference on Property Rights and Sustainability,’ Organized by the New Zealand Centre for Environmental Law – For those interested, the presentation is attached.

THE EARTH CHARTER

In this Invitation / Incitation I wanted to bring your attention to the Earth Charter Initiative. This is a diverse, global network of people, organizations, and institutions that participate in promoting and implementing the values and principles of the Earth Charter. The Earth Charter itself, a beautiful and inspiring document, can be read online at www.earthcharterinaction.org/content. The mission of the Earth Charter Initiative is to promote the transition to sustainable ways of living and a global society founded upon a shared ethical framework that includes respect and care for the community of life, ecological integrity, universal human rights, respect for diversity, economic justice, democracy, and a culture of peace. Of particular relevance to the Life Poets’ Simplicity Collective is clause 7(f) which calls upon all to ‘Adopt lifestyles that emphasize the quality of life and material sufficiency in a finite world.’ We can only hope that the Earth Charter is one day recognized by international law and the United Nations.

LEARN DIDEROT’S LESSON!

In the 18^th century, the French philosopher Denis Diderot wrote an essay entitled Regrets on Parting with My Old Dressing Gown. Simplicity theorist, Juliet Schor, has neatly summarized the point of that important essay below. Have a read and then try to apply Diderot’s lesson to your own life. (See Juliet Schor, ‘Learning Diderot’s Lesson: Stopping the Upward Creep of Desire,’ in Tim Jackson (ed.), The Earthscan Reader in Sustainable Consumption (2005) p178.)

Diderot’s regrets were prompted by a gift of a beautiful scarlet dressing gown. Delighted with his new acquisition, Diderot quickly discarded his old gown. But in a short time, his pleasure turned sour as he began to sense that the surroundings within which the gown was worn did not properly reflect the garment’s elegance. He grew dissatisfied with his study, with its threadbare tapestry, the desk, his chairs and even room’s bookshelves. One by one, the familiar but well-worn furnishings of the study were replaced. In the end, Diderot found himself seated uncomfortably in the stylish formality of his new surroundings, regretting the work of this ‘impervious scarlet robe [that] forced everything else to conform with its own elegant tone.’

Today consumer researchers call such striving for conformity the ‘Diderot effect.’ And, while Diderot effects can be constraining (some people foresee the problem and refuse the initial upgrading), in a world of growing income the pressure to enter and follow the cycle are overwhelming. The purchase of a new home is the impetus for replacing old furniture; a new jacket makes little sense without the right skirt to match; an upgrade in china can’t really be enjoyed without a corresponding upgrade in glassware. This need for unity and conformity in our lifestyle choices is part of what keeps the consumer escalator moving ever upward. And ‘escalator’ is the operative metaphor: when the acquisition of each item on a wish list adds another item, and more, to our ‘must-have’ list, the pressure to upgrade our stock of stuff is relentlessly unidirectional, always ascending.

PRACTICAL EXERCISE: A MONTH OF EXACT ACCOUNTING

Although living simply is much more than just living cheaply and consuming less – it is also a state of mind – spending wisely plays an important role. The following exercise can be enlightening and might surprise you: Over a one month period, record every purchase you make, and then categorize your expenses (rent, food, alcohol, movies, coffee, books, clothes, etc.). Multiply each category by twelve to get a rough estimate of the annual cost. Then consider how much of your time and energy you spent obtaining the money to buy everything you consumed that month. Question not only the amount of money you spent on each category, but also the categories on which you spent your money. You might find that seemingly little purchases add up to an inordinate amount over a whole year, suggesting that the money might be better spent elsewhere, not at all, or exchanged for more time by working less. One does not have to be a tightwad, as such. Only thoughtful. After all, as Thoreau would say, ‘The cost of a thing is the amount of life which is required to be exchanged for it.’ You may find that some small changes to your spending habits, rather than inducing any sense of deprivation, will instead be life-affirming. And when it comes to spending our money we should always bear in mind Vicki Robin’s profound democratic insight: That how we spend our money is how we vote on what exists in the world. If this is true then the global middleclass has the potential to become a non-violent revolutionary class and change the world, simply by changing its spending habits.

Hope is the difference between probability and possibility. – Isabelle Stengers

WOULD YOU LIKE TO GET INVOLVED?

As well as forwarding this email (including the song) onto to friends, family, work colleagues, etc., perhaps you would also like to help take simplicity to the streets? As noted previously, I have some Life Poets’ Simplicity Collective ‘business cards’ left over from the Sustainable Living Festival. If you would like to spend an morning/evening dropping some around your neighbourhood, workplace, campus, etc. then please let me know. They could be picked up from my place in Parkville, or, if necessary, I could send them to you. I would love to hear from you and your involvement would be greatly appreciated. Many thanks to those who have already lent a hand promoting voluntary simplicity.

Let ours be a time remembered for the awakening of a new reverence for life, the firm resolve to achieve sustainability, the quickening of the struggle for justice and peace, and the joyful celebration of life. – The Earth Charter

One final reminder, don’t forget about the documentary this Wednesday 29 April, 9.30pm, Channel 31, Plug In TV Show, ‘Voluntary Simplicity: The Poetic Alternative to Consumer Culture.’

Let us be pioneers once more,

Samuel Alexander,

L.P.S.C.

Contact: simplicitycollective@gmail.com

Website: www.simplicitycollective.com