Peace & Christian Social Concerns Committee
Simplicity
The Testimonies
Advices & Queries on Simplicity
Signs of Simplicity
Ten Suggested Steps Towards Simplicity
Simplicity Resources and Websites
Out of clutter, find simplicity. From discord, find harmony. In the middle of difficulty, lies opportunity. Albert Einstein
The Testimonies
Quakers have a few testimonies. The central four bear witness to truth, equality, peace, and simplicity.
They are neither rules nor a creed but guidelines for lives, that demonstrate our faith, and standards to reach for.
No testimony stands alone. They are like threads weaving in and out of each other to create the material that shows our lives speaking.The strength and peace of inward
Voluntary simplicity is not about doing without. In fact it's just the opposite -- it's about having enough. Enough intimacy with others and with nature, enough sense of purpose and fulfilling work, enough fun and joy. Voluntary simplicity is about living life fully, of experiencing life as a whole human being. It's also about caring for the earth and people throughout the world who truly do not have enough. (Simplicity Pamphlet-Australia Yearly Meeting) Simplicity is not so much about what we own, but about what owns us.....If our time, money and energy are consumed in selecting, acquiring, maintaining.....and talking about our possessions, then there is little time, money and energy left for our other pursuits such as the work we do to further the Community of God. Charles Hadley Snyder, 1991
simplicity helps us to choose and
act with outward simplicity.
Advices & Queries on Simplicity
(from Britain Yearly Meeting)
Are you honest and truthful in all you say and do? Do you maintain strict integrity in business transactions and in your dealings with individuals and organizations? Do you use money and information entrusted to you with discretion and responsibility? Taking oaths implies a double standard of truth; in choosing to affirm instead, be aware of the claim to integrity that you are making.If pressure is brought upon you to lower your standard of integrity, are you prepared to resist it? Our responsibilities to God and our neighbor may involve us in taking unpopular stands. Do not let the desire to be sociable, or the fear of seeming peculiar, determine your decisions.
Consider which of the ways to happiness offered by society are truly fulfilling and which are potentially corrupting and destructive. Be discriminating when choosing means of entertainment and information. Resist the desire to acquire possessions or income through unethical investment, speculation or games of chance.
Try to live simply. A simple lifestyle freely chosen is a source of strength. Do not be persuaded into buying what you do not need or cannot afford. Do you keep yourself informed about the effects your style of living is having on the global economy and environment?
We do not own the world, and its riches are not ours to dispose of at will. Show a loving consideration for all creatures, and seek to maintain the beauty and variety of the world. Work to ensure that our increasing power over nature is used responsibly, with reverence for life. Rejoice in the splendor of God's continuing creation.
Richard Foster, Celebration of Discipline, pp. 90ff
A) Absence of Anxiety
B) Consider Possessions Received as Gifts, Cared for by God, and Available to Others
Ten Suggested Steps Towards Simplicity
1) Buy for usefulness, not status.
2) Reject anything that produces addiction of any kind.
3) Develop the habit of giving things away; deaccumulate.
4) Reject the propaganda of gadgetry (a real time saver; buy now, pay later; this will pay for itself; saves energy, etc.)
5) Learn to enjoy things without having to own them.
6) Learn anew to appreciate nature.
7) Avoid interest, use extreme caution in incurring debt.
8) Obey plain, honest speech (Matt. 5:37); speak to illuminate and inform, not to impress or excuse.
9) Reject anything that breeds the oppression of others.
10) Shun anything that distracts you from seeking first the Kingdom and righteousness of God.
A rich person is not one who has the most, but one who needs the least.” (“Interview with God”)
Campolo, Tony. Curing Affluenza Video Series (6- 23 min videos with study guides). EcuFilm Nashville, TN 1998(?).
Dappen, Andy. Shattering the Two-Income Myth: Daily Secrets for Living Well on One Income. Mountlake Terrace, WA: Brier Books, 1997.
Dlugozima, Hope and Scott, James and Sharp, David. Six Months Off: How to Plan, Negotiate, and Take the Break You Need without Burning Bridges or Going Broke. New York: Henry Holt, 1996.
Doherty, William and Carlson, Barbara. Putting Family First: Successful Strategies for Reclaiming Family Life in a Hurry-Up World. New York: Owl Books, 2002.
Dominguez, Joe and Robin, Vicki. Your Money or Your Life: Transforming Your Relationship with Money and Achieving Financial Independence. New York: Penguin Books, Revised 1999.
Foster, Richard J. Freedom of Simplicity. New York: Harper, 1998.
Fox, Matthew. The Reinvention of Work: A New Vision of Livelihood for Our Time. New York: Harper San Francisco, 1995.
Gregg, Richard. The Value of Voluntary Simplicity. Wallingford, PA: Pendle Hill, 1936.
Lappé, Frances Moore and Lappé, Anna. Hope's Edge: The Next Diet for a Small Planet. New York: J.P. Tarcher, 2002.
Levering, Frank and Urbanska, Wanda. Simple Living: One Couple's Search for a Better Life. New York: Viking Penguin, 1992.
Longacre, Doris Janzen. Living More with Less. Scottdale, PA: Herald Press, 1980.
Mavrodes, George I. Pamplet:The Salvation of Zachary Baumkletterer. Madison, WI: InterVarsity Press, 1977
Pym, Jim. Listening to the Light: How to Bring Quaker Simplicity and Integrity into Our Lives. London: Rider, 1999
Robbins, John. The Food Revolution: How Your Diet Can Help Save Your Life and Our World. Berkeley: Conari Press, 2001.
Robinson, Jo and Staeheli, Jean Coppock. Unplug the Christmas Machine: A Complete Guide to Putting Love and Joy Back into the Season. New York: Quill, Revised 1991.
Schut, Michael (ed.). Simpler Living, Compassionate Life: A Christian Perspective. Denver, CO: Living the Good News, 1999.
Sider, Ronald. Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press,1980.
Sine, Tom. Wild Hope: A Wake Up Call. England: Monarch, 1991.
Sine, Tom. Live it up: How to Create a Life You Can Love. Scottdale, PA: Herald Press, 1993.
Sine, Tom. Mustard Seed vs. McWorld: Reinventing Christian Life and Mission for a New Millennium. England: Monarch, 1999.
Whitmire, Catherine. Plain Living: A Quaker Path to Simplicity. Notre Dame, IN: Sorin Books, 2001.
Seeds of Simplicity <www.seedsofsimplicity.org> Organizing & Educating for Voluntary Simplicity: A Program of the Center for Religion, Ethics & Social Policy at Cornell University
The Simplicity Resource Guide <www.gallagherpress.com/pierce> In this site you will find a wide spectrum of resources related to voluntary simplicity, a way of life that addresses the widespread yearning in North America and other western countries for a slower pace of life with more time for joyful relationships, fulfilling work, and living one's dreams. For some, though not all, people, to live more simply involves working less, wanting less, and spending less.
The Simple Living Network <www.simpleliving.net> Tools, Examples & Contacts For Conscious, Simple, Healthy & Restorative Living age
Alternatives <www.simpleliving.org> is a non-profit organization that equips people of faith to challenge consumerism, live justly and celebrate responsibly. Started in 1973 as a protest against the commercialization of Christmas, our focus is on encouraging celebrations that reflect conscientious ways of living.
Prepared by Pam and Ron Ferguson July 2003
