Product Description

This is a book about simplicity - not destitution, not parsimoniousness, not self-denial - but the restoration of wealth in the midst of an affluence in which the author believes we are starving the spirit. It has to do with having less and enjoying more - enjoying time to do the work you love, enjoying time to spend with your family, enjoying time to pursue creative projects, enjoying time for good eating, enjoying time just to be. Another theme of the book concerns the future of our home, the Earth. Our grandchildren will inherit an Earth with less than 20 per cent of its original forests still intact, with most of the readily available freshwater already spoken for, with most of the wetlands and reef systems either destroyed or degraded. Sooner or later, the author believes, a more frugal lifestyle will not only be desirable - it will become an imperative.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #69289 in Books
• Published on: 2001-01-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 112 pages

About the Author
John Lane is a painter, writer and educator. His five previous books include The Living Tree: Art and the Sacred, A Snake's Tail Full of Ants: Art, Ecology and Consciousness and In Praise of Devon.

Excerpted from Timeless Simplicity by John Lang. Copyright © 2001. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
Why do some people choose to live less cluttered, hectic and complicated lives? And what does the subject of this book, voluntary simplicity, actually mean? This chapter seeks to answer these questions both in terms of the quest for greater personal contentment and the continuous violation of life on Earth by a feelingless utilitarianism. For the sake of clarity, I have divided the chapter into two sections, but they are, of course, inseparable. What is good for the world will be good for us.

THE QUEST FOR PERSONAL CONTENTMENT
A good way of looking at simplicity might be a consideration of the standard against which accomplishment is measured in our society.

In a capitalist society, money is generally considered the primary measure of value. This is because the maximization of returns on financial capital is one of its defining objectives. Competition, individualism and material consumption are therefore nurtured as favoured cultural norms. Levels of income, stock prices and the gross domestic product (GDP) have thus become the measure of progress and success. Evidence of this can be seen in the fact that each day more than two trillion dollars are moved around the world in search of quick profits. London's tallest building is no longer a cathedral, but a commercial enterprise.

In our money-based culture, everyone needs to make use of money as the primary means of exchange and in order to purchase life's necessities: shelter, clothing, food. But after the bare necessities have been purchased, what else is required? Three holidays a year? A swimming pool in the garden? A second home in the south of France? A new kitchen and a more luxurious car? Where do you, my reader, stand along this spectrum of needs and wants? If your responses are weighted towards the enjoyment of affluence, then this book may have little relevance for you. You enjoy a generous salary, good food, freedom of action, exotic holidays - why change what already provides so much pleasure? But if you are dissatisfied with your current life, feeling that you are missing out from something that you cannot yet define, and are looking for greater contentment, then what I am calling 'living simply' may yet hold an attraction for you.

Customer Reviews

Rich living without the "stuff"
John Lane has written a book that sets out to help anyone wanting to simplify their life. It has chapters that focus on 'why simplicity?', obstacles that may arise and a short but comprehensive history of simplicity through the ages as well as sections that help to show how- not with precise, detailed instructions but with an impression of what to do.
My favourite chapter is 'The sacred arts of life' which has short sections on food, homemaking (how much more satisfying a term than housekeeping!), the garden and cooking. I'd like to read a whole book just on these alone!
The book is illustrated by woodcuts of simple living e.g. the cover's hands kneading bread and these provide images to meditate on while you read. Chapters are prefaced by suitable passages or quotes, and words from the masters are interspersed throughout. A rather short bibliography is compensated for by detailed chapter notes and bibliographies which provide a 'next step' in the simplification chain.

I have read the book several times and am now in the process of passing it on to help others to simplify.

A book to get the soul thinking
I enjoyed reading this book. The book gets behind the spiritual benefits of simple living and makes many references to historical figures who choose to live a simple and harmonious life.
This book is not a cookbook of things to do but instead gets one thinking and lets us decide how we go about the finer points of simplifying our own lives.

A straight-forward book.
I find this book to be more straight-forward in presenting the ideas of voluntary simplicity. There's no new-age or hippy stuff here, just a sensible description of voluntary simplicity, what it is, some obstacles. I keep re-reading it and it is quite small. I haven't managed to read Elgin's classic text because it's written in a different style - this, i think, is much easier to start with.