Every year, National Simplicity Day is celebrated on July 12 in the United States. It marks the anniversary and honors the life, work and philosophy of the American poet and writer Henry David Thoreau, born in 1817. His main book Walden or life in the woods is an image reflecting a simple life in a pure environment.
What is a simple life?
It is a life inspired by the following expressions: moderation, sobriety, frugality, small is beautiful in the various aspects of everyday existence.
The simple life is often linked to the reduction of consumption and its various aspects:
Housing. Search for a small accommodation corresponding specifically to the needs of the users.
Food. Do not overeat, eat less processed and consume as little meat as possible.
Transportation. Contrary to current fashion, choose smaller vehicles instead of vans and sport utility vehicles, reduce travel, especially by plane.
Agenda. Reduce commitment overload to take care of the really important things in life and keep control over it.
Living simply also means developing one’s inner life through meditation and writing a diary and also building a network of warm relationships offering affective and emotional support.
On a more collective level, it means building support networks, getting involved in community groups and participating in debate and public life in various ways.
Collapse
The media tell us almost daily that the environmental situation is getting worse and worse, that governments will not respect their commitments, that we are on the edge of a precipice or that we are heading straight into a wall.
Even if all the indicators are red, there is no will, either popular or governmental, to significantly modify our way of life. It is often said that man only changes when he has to. However, here, even if it is midnight minus one, we do not make the appropriate gestures. Obviously, we will soon face a collapse of our civilization. Tomorrow it will be too late, because the damage will be irreversible.
The only path to salvation lies in adopting simplicity, immediately and on a large scale. The good news in all of this is that the simple life is usually a happy life. Indeed, it is not in the whirlwind of life and overconsumption that we find happiness, but in a calmer and more thoughtful life, where relationships matter more than money and power.
Thoreau’s motto was: “Simplify, simplify, simplify. »