“Any intelligent fool can make things bigger, more complex, and more violent. It takes a touch of genius – and a lot of courage – to move in the opposite direction.” (E.F. Schumacher)
Wise preparation, on the other hand, demands that we prioritize that which is most important and lay aside that which isn’t. Godly simplicity is the solution that will bring order to our messed up, out of control lives. Choosing the simple life begins with the process of separating the proverbial sheep from the goats; selecting the practices that have value and sending away those that don’t. Such careful choosing and refusing will begin to make your lives simple and your preparations more successful.
As Schumacher wisely reminds us in the parable above, the choice to live a simple life will take real courage. The inertia of life moves us to accumulate more and more. Our culture’s market driven, consumer mindset, continually forms us more and more so that our lives are bursting with the need to grab after more and more. Simplicity is a choice to stop that cycle. It is the ultimate step toward “get off the grid”. It is a determined stride in the direction of less. Simplicity is the courageous move toward an undisturbed mind. The surprising reality is that the man who has less will often live a far fuller life than the man who accumulates in excess. That is because the simple life is a life that chooses quality over quantity. It is a life of peace and order. Begin today to make the courageous and wise movement toward simplicity.