In Pursuit of the Simple Life - It's Just not that Simple

Every once in a while I pull a book off of the shelf that I have previously read to see if there is something that I missed in the first walk through. I look for sections that I did not highlight or underline. Was there some miniscule thought in between previous notes of what once seemed important? Was there a concept, an idea, something hiding in the gaps that was unseen? Funny how there is always a nuget of truth that jumps out at me and I wonder how I missed it the first time. Maybe I didn't need to understand it before, or maybe I was not in the place where I could comprehend the thoughts of the author. Whatever the case, it happened again.


What does it mean to live a simple life? Is it possible given the noise and chaos in our society? How can it be done? Should it be done? Max DuPree wrote "Leadership Jazz" in the early 1990's and reflected on things he learned about leadership based on his personal experiences.

In one section he spends an incredible amount of time answering the question "Where do ethics and leadership intersect?" He focuses on the personal ethics of the leader: "Leaders exemplify personal restraint in their behavior." He pulls a cautionary statement from Warren Bennis and Ian Mitroff (The Unreality Industry) regarding the self-restraint of leaders in the following: "Western societies are threatened, they say, by 'their own self-inflicted, endless pursuit of mindless pleasures and trivialities, e.g., drugs, TV, the endless consumption of junk food, useless material items, and trivializing ideas.'"

All of the above is a good sound bite. The next quote is what jumped out at me: "How to discover the ethics of simplicity in our capitalist system has become a serious problem." Obviously, we were not listening as indicated by the housing and real estate fiasco of recent years.

We should reap the benefit of our hard work, ingenuity, and creativity. Mankind should be free to pursue dreams and ideas. We have all felt the benefits of someone elses ideas in medicine, technology, engineering, science, etc. These are the things that move us forward; they are good and helpful for humanity.

However, there are times when we must stop and ask some difficult questions. Just because we have the freedom to act in certain ways in a capitalistic society does not mean it is ethical and right. It is not always beneficial and good for humanity to profit at the expense of others. But, where is the line? When do we say, enough?

And, this is where I am; struggling to define the boundaries. As a person of faith, I feel there is something more important, something different that is required of me if I call myself a Christian. Shouldn't I live differently?

Christ's triumphant entrance just before His death was on the back of a borrowed jackass. Common man decorated the street in front of Him with palm branches. He was born in a food trough in a barn. His parents were vagabonds in a foreign country while hiding from a tyrant king. His earthly father was a carpenter who made just enough money to provide for his family. His best friends were a bunch of misfits, harlots, and crooked tax collecters. He was unjustly killed in His early 30's, but His name and teachings still echoe throughout all of humanity today.

I am not going out and trading in my 1999 Camry on a jackass, but I hope you understand my point. I think simplicity has a lot to do with my priorities and what I value. I have only "heard" what I believe to be God speak to me one time. What I heard was "follow Me as I lead you." I have made my fair share of mistakes while on this journey, but those words continue to haunt me. I am simply trying to follow God as He leads.

I hope your journey is full of adventure, but I really hope you simply follow God. And if you see me on the back of a jackass it may just mean that my Toyota is in the shop.

Bless you, my friends!