Simple-Living Concept A Complicated Matter

‘A friend is one who knows your song … and sings it to you when you forget.”

- author unknown

Dear Readers:

This is a column on answers to your mail, so I’ll tackle them by subject rather than individual letter.

Simple living

Thank you for all the suggestions on leading a “simple” life. Here are some for the rest of you.

Write to Simple Living Press, 2319 N. 45th, Seattle, WA 98103 or call (206) 464-4800.

The Seattle Public Library has a Voluntary Simplicity resource list. Libraries in other cities can get it for you (ask for 10/94GWD;94-2174#6).

Also, there are many chat lines on simple living on the Internet.

Write to us and we will send you what we’ve gathered with the help of our readers.

I think simple living is more complicated than it sounds because it can mean so many things.

One friend said to me, “Live simply so that others may simply live.”

I thought about that and pictured a world where everyone lived the same way and realized that it may not work.

Some people create jobs for others by their work and lifestyles; other people don’t pull their weight. Some people take very good care of their homes and the environment we all share; others don’t.

Some people have only one or two children; others have many.

But some people with more than two take better care of them than those with only one.

Every time a society imposes a system where everyone lives about the same, it fails. I think it fails, in part, because of the greed of some but also because people express themselves in many ways, and some of these are through material goods.

Humans have always built monuments and gardens and created art and drama with their work or lifestyle.

Each generation asks anew: What is the common good? What will work for me and mine? Each generation seems to become more inclusive; more people are free to ask the questions and to live beyond bare survival.

At the turn of the last century, economists report, 96 percent of the wealth in America was held by 1 percent of the richest households. Now they tell us that 40 percent of the country’s wealth is held by 1 percent of the richest households.

That still seems gross, but it is a significant change.

None of that accepts, promotes or excuses the greed that damages our country. The current corporate free-for-all with regulations will hurt us all.

The American dream of a poor child who works hard ending up with wealth does come true. But when it does, the questions shift from “What can I have?” to “What should I have?”

We all have to continue to ask deep questions about simplicity, quality of life and the common good.

Liberals vs. conservatives

You continue to write about my sweeping statements that liberals deny reality and conservatives are mean.

Yes, those are ridiculous stereotypes but still with the grain of truth that intrigues me.

Liberals are compassionate, democracy-loving people who believe in a common good. They also believe in their fellow humans, but there is the problem.

The evidence is overwhelming that humans need some coercion and some restraint to behave. This is especially true of children. (I refer to non-violent discipline, not physical abuse.)

American Civil Liberties Union’s continual treatment of children as adults in school situations (or repeat pedophiles as curable) makes it difficult to create a safe and responsible environment.

Conservatives are less interested in democracy and more interested in “survival of the fittest” as long as they get to define fittest. The current political debate makes it clear that many of us are excluded as they offer almost clean water and air and almost safe food. They would rather give an extra billion to the Pentagon than health care to a child.

I prefer to avoid both labels since they are too general, anyway. Let’s go for the third-party idea and call ourselves the Common Sense Party. Our symbol could be, instead of the donkey (stubborn) or the elephant (big consumer), a dolphin (fast, smart, playful). I know dolphins aren’t perfect either, but what are the alternatives?

Minorities

You can dispute the number of Native Americans killed all you want. You can write to me about slavery in Africa or that you didn’t do anything; it was some other generation.

But the facts remain: When some of the most advantaged people in the world yell “reverse discrimination,” it reveals their ignorance, arrogance, and disregard for obvious truths. It makes me want to retch.

xxxx