Living a simple and harmonious lifeBook review by Lucy Oriang'
In introducing this book, Ram Dass draws the reader into the spirit of the subject by recounting his stay in a valley in the Kumoan Hills at the base of the Himalayas. Life remains largely rudimentary there and the technological advances of the modern industrial society are a far-off memory to the American. "This pastoral vision of simplicity has much appeal to those of us in the West, for whom life can be full of confusion, distraction and complexity," he writes. But he then proceeds to negate this evocative imagery as the ideal as far as voluntary simplicity goes. As he puts it: "Its ecological and peaceful way of living is unconsciously won and thus is vulnerable to the winds of change that fan the latent desires of its people." This society, for all its worth, is the product of unchanging custom and tradition rather than a voluntary choice. Therein lies the core message of this intense, captivating book. The simple life is not spiritually uplifting if it is forced on you. Its liberating influence must spring from deep within you, enabling you to come to an understanding and appreciation of the necessity of balance between all the forces of nature. The move towards simple living can be traced back to the decade of the 1960s when Westerners, disillusioned with the rat race and the hectic pace of their lives, began to look to the East for a more spiritually fulfilling culture. Ram Dass himself returns from a trip to India in 1968 to renounce the comforts and convenience of his father's house. This is rebellion of the highest order against all the "worldly delights" that have informed his lifestyle. But he soon finds it hard to sustain his supercilious attitude. "I was running as hard as I could away from Western values even as I was studying in-depth the Bhagavad-Gita, which says that one must honour one's unique life predicament; one cannot imitate another's." What exactly is voluntary simplicity? The concept might be better explained by what it is not. Duane Elgin argues passionately against the idea of linking poverty with simplicity. Poverty is involuntary, debilitating, mean and degrading to the spirit, he says, in a chapter interspersed with personal experiences and insights. Conscious simplicity is voluntary and enabling and can have a beauty and functional integrity that elevates the human spirit. Elgin writes in clear, simple terms without watering down the essence of the message he has for his reader. He tackles, one by one, all the arguments that the simple life implies retreating into the past. Simplicity, in his book, is not about the rustic life, denial of beauty and turning away from progress. Instead, the simple life is presented as one shorn of all excess: "Simplicity removes the obscuring clutter and discloses the spirit that infuses all things." There's no denying the pervasive stereotypes and misconceptions that make a simpler life seem impractical and unapproachable. Indeed, the concept has been perceived in some quarters as the simplistic life. In response to a questionnaire sent out as part of a survey included in the book, a woman wrote: "We laugh that we are considered a 'poverty' family', as we consider our lives to be rich and full and completely rewarding—we are living in harmony with everything. I know for myself the source of 'richness' or 'poverty' comes from within me." Elgin goes to great length to disabuse the reader of any notions that the simple life equals a weird lifestyle. It is all about making the "most of wherever you are." The idealism comes through in his words: "If we do not delay but act with decision and determination, then humanity need not face a future of poverty." It is a position that has great appeal at a time when the global arena is characterised by imbalances and challenges pitting the rich North against the poor South. Consider this quote from the UN human development report of 1992: "In a world of five billion people, we discovered that the top billion people hold 83 percent of the world's wealth, while the bottom billion have only 1.4 percent." It is a hopelessly skewed world, and one that cannot be sustained over time. The reader catches another glimpse of the idealist when Elgin roundly protests that it is unrealistic to think that, in a communications-rich world, a billion or more persons will accept living in absolute poverty while another billion live in conspicuous excess. Faced with the degradation and sense of helplessness that the poor in our society must face up to in their daily lives, one cannot help seeing the sense in Elgin's position. Although set out in terms of a global challenge, his prediction that, unless there is a revolution in fairness, the world will find itself in chronic conflict over dwindling resources, is becoming all too uncomfortably true in our own local community. We only have to look at the rise in insecurity and the increasing crime statistics to realise that we must tackle the question of equitable distribution of wealth -and soon - if we are to safeguard everyone's basic freedoms. In an increasingly materialistic world, however, it is doubtful that this crisis will be easily resolved. In the struggle to keep as much distance as possible from debilitating poverty, it seems that Kenyans in key positions have gone overboard—acquiring more than they and the future generations in their families can possibly make meaningful use of, while the have-nots sink deeper into the mire of destitution. It is like sitting on a time bomb that could explode any time. In a comprehensive review of the historical roots of simplicity, Elgin explores the religious and spiritual linkages, from the early Christians to latter-day transcendentalist views. He quotes the historian of simple living, David Shi, describing the common denominator among the various approaches to simpler living as the understanding that: "The making of money and the accumulation of things should not smother the purity of the soul, the life of the mind, the cohesion of the family or the good of society." There is clearly a pressing need for simpler living in our society. Duane Elgin's compelling voice of reason, running through seven highly readable chapters, offers a respite from the empty political rhetoric that has become a way of life for many in the developing world. The book is a call for sense and sensibility that needs to be read as widely as possible.
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