By Michael French
Ever heard the phrase “Less is More?”
Our obsessive pursuit of wealth isn’t working – people are afraid and anxious; we’re destroying the planet, undermining happiness, and clinging to an unsustainable economy. There’s another way. Less can be More. Throughout history wise people have argued we need to live more simply – that only by limiting outer wealth can we have inner wealth. They bring us a new vision of Less: Less stuff, less work, less stress, less debt. A life with ‘Less’ becomes a life of ‘More’: More time, more satisfaction, more balance and more security. We need to build a culture of connection by challenging the consumer society and recreating vibrant life in our local communities, the creation of a different experience of time where we live life in slower, more effective ways, savoring our lives and recapturing exuberance and laughter.
When we have too much, we savor nothing. We become less appreciative and less grateful, engorged with a bloated sense of entitlement. Appreciative, grateful people are healthier and happier. When we choose less, we think and feel deeply. Ultimately, a life of less
connects us with one true source of happiness: being part of a caring community. We learn how to turn individual change into a movement that leads to policy changes in government and corporate behavior, the wealth gap and sustainability.
It is more accurate for our worth as a human being to be measured NOT by what we possess but how we behave. Baby Boomers nearing retirement, harried professionals with a social conscience, the one-time “middle class” and 20-30-somethings who are now facing the sobering realities of constricted choices are weighing what corporate America / Madison Avenue are relentlessly brainwashing and manipulating us to believe we need versus what is truly imperative to have a rewarding life.
Wabi-sabi, an ancient Japanese belief, is about appreciating the simple and letting go of the superficial – the perfect antidote for a society in recovery from a decade long consumerist orgy. How liberating it is to move past our belief in life, liberty and the pursuit of stuff to finding beauty in austerity, serenity and authenticity.
Far more than home décor, wabi-sabi is a state of mind: living modestly in the moment, stripping away the unnecessary, finding satisfaction in everyday things. Wabi -sabi includes clearing clutter, integrating recycled material and taking time for self-reflection.
Wabi-sabi is everything that today’s sleek, plastic, technology-saturated culture isn’t. Mass-produced perfection is seductive but boring. This belief is for anyone who is overwhelmed by consumerism. This is a tricky one; being content with less, since we are programmed with “no matter how much you have, you always need more.” Too many of us are enslaved by believing that contentment with what we have or who we are equals laziness.
Do we truly want it all or are we manipulated to believe it? Don’t most of us actually have much more than we realize or really need? When we need something, be it knowledge or material, it will come to us in some way or another, usually in unexpected ways. By slowing down and connecting with ourselves, we find our true needs.
I have known people with serious illness or pain and all they want is health – to the point where they are ready to give everything away. That was very evident when I was my mother’s caregiver during her terminal illness.
When we set needs against wants, we find that we need very little and this is when we start receiving what we need. Often when we receive, we are blind to the gift because we are looking for something else, and that which is given us is discarded. Look at things from a different angle; everything is a blessing – sometimes very well disguised. Things happen to us all the time, we just need to notice it and understand its significance … this happens when we slow down and allow ourselves to start watching and listening instead of constantly doing and talking. The idea of having any kind of control is an illusion. So sit back, my friends, and allow it to happen.
Michael French, is Agenda’s Home from Home columnist. Contact Michael at mf7954fla@gmail.com
