At times when we were beginning our journey of voluntary simplicity, I’d often wonder if we were heading down the wrong path. Was it really possible for us to live a simple life given our circumstances? Our situation certainly didn’t mesh with my view of simplicity. Were we being foolish to believe that we could simplify a life filled with children (and all their accoutrements), commitments, obligations, material possessions, and a home in a condominium complex?

The more we read though, the more we realized these were exactly the reasons we should simplify. Our physical situation was not nearly as important as our mental one. We began to see that we could find simplicity in any circumstance without waiting for it to find us.

As I’ve said before, that’s the wonderful thing about simplicity. It is not some all-inclusive, written in stone, lifestyle. Rather, it is a unique journey that will meet you right where you are.

I recently came across a wonderfully insightful article by Duane Elgin. His words perfectly illustrate the far-reaching scope of voluntary simplicity, as well they should since he is viewed by so many as being the leader of this current wave of simplicity. He writes of a “garden of simplicity” made up of seven categories.

1. Uncluttered Simplicity—means taking charge of lives that are too busy, too stressed, and too fragmented. Simplicity means cutting back on clutter, complexity, and trivial distractions, both material and non-material, and focusing on the essentials—whatever those may be for each of our unique lives. As Thoreau said, “Our life is frittered away by detail. . . Simplify, simplify.” Or, as Plato wrote, “In order to seek one’s own direction, one must simplify the mechanics of ordinary, everyday life.”

2. Ecological Simplicity—means to choose ways of living that touch the Earth more lightly and that reduce our ecological impact on the web of life. This life-path remembers our deep roots with the Earth, air, and water. It encourages us to connect with nature, the seasons, and the cosmos. A natural simplicity feels a deep reverence for the community of life on Earth and accepts that the non-human realms of plants and animals have their dignity and rights as well the human.

3. Compassionate Simplicity—means to feel such a strong sense of kinship with others that, as Gandhi said, we “choose to live simply so that others may simply live.” A compassionate simplicity means feeling a bond with the community of life and being drawn toward a path of reconciliation—with other species and future generations as well as, for example, between those with great differences of wealth and opportunity. A compassionate simplicity is a path of cooperation and fairness that seeks a future of mutually assured development for all.

4. Soulful Simplicity—means to approach life as a meditation and to cultivate our experience of intimate connection with all that exists. By living simply, we can more directly awaken to the living universe that surrounds and sustains us, moment by moment. Soulful simplicity is more concerned with consciously tasting life in its unadorned richness than with a particular standard or manner of material living. In cultivating a soulful connection with life, we tend to look beyond surface appearances and bring our interior aliveness into relationships of all kinds.

5. Business Simplicity—means a new kind of economy is growing in the world with many expressions of “right livelihood” in the rapidly growing market for healthy and sustainable products and services of all kinds—from home-building materials and energy systems to foods and transportation. When the need for a sustainable infrastructure in developing nations is combined with the need to retrofit and redesign the homes, cities, workplaces, and transportation systems of “developed” nations, it is clear that an enormous wave of green economic activity will unfold. A new economics is integral to this new approach to business; for example, where “waste equals food” or the waste of one activity represents resources for another part of the production system.

6. Civic Simplicity—means a new approach to governing ourselves, recognizing that to live more lightly and sustainably on the Earth will require changes in every area of public life—from transportation and education to the design of our cities, public buildings, and workplaces. The politics of simplicity is also a media politics as the mass media are the primary vehicle for reinforcing—or transforming—the mass consciousness of consumerism.

7. Frugal Simplicity—means that, by cutting back on spending that is not truly serving our lives, and by practicing skillful management of our personal finances, we can achieve greater financial independence. Frugality and careful financial management bring increased financial freedom and the opportunity to more consciously choose our path through life. Living with less also decreases the impact of our consumption upon the Earth and frees resources for others.

Copyright 2007, Duane Elgin. Used with permission.

See what I mean? Simplicity is not about fitting ourselves into a tiny box made up of rules, regulations, and requirements. And I bet many of you are thinking the same things I did when I first read this. Namely, “Hmm, I never thought of that as simplicity, but it really does make perfect sense.” Maybe you’ve already begun simplifying your life without even realizing it.

If you are striving to live more simply, which one of these categories speaks to you the most? Where do you fit in the “garden of simplicity?” Please share with us. We’d love to hear your thoughts on this topic.

I encourage you to read more of Mr. Elgin’s thoughts on this at his website and also in my favorite simple living book, Voluntary Simplicity. This list of the seven categories in the “garden of simplicity” will be published in the newest edition of Voluntary Simplicity, which Mr. Elgin is writing right now.

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