No Taking From The Poor And Giving To The Rich Monday

In the US, the Congressional Budget Office released a major report recently, showing that average household income for the top 1 percent of earners increased 275% from 1979 to 2007 while increasing just 18% for the bottom 20 percent of earners. - source

Massive income inequality has a corrosive effect. However, the methods used to build and maintain income inequality among a population are damaging to more than the social fabric of a nation.

The methods used by the top 1% exploit workers and the environment to the point of exhaustion. It is not sustainable.

It is even worse when the people we vote to represent us take the side of the exploiters, creating a near-impenetrable wall of power and influence. But it can not go on for ever.

Our economies, along with the exploitation by the top 1%, depend on infinite growth within a finite system. It has become obvious that the people and the environment, being finite and only able to take so much, have reached their functional limits.

The nefarious ways of the One Percent are doomed to failure, and will end eventually.

Fortunately, for the benefit of the planet and the majority of its inhabitants, it is looking like that will be sooner rather than later.

Today Is A Great Day

7 seconds to success

When most people who have seen the movie Jerry Maguire think about memorable lines they probably think about "Show me the money!", or "You had me at hello." Not me.

The line I like the most and think about almost daily was spoken by a minor character, Dicky Fox. His delivery of the line is enthusiastic, positive, and, I might add, effective. It is a great way to program your brain to expect that today, and every day, will be great.

In a scene where Dicky is talking about what he attributes his success to, he tells us his secret:

"I LOVE getting up in the morning. I clap my hands and say, 'This is going to be a great day!'" 

I have tried it... a lot, and it works. Not only that, but I think that the Dalai Lama would approve.

His take on success and waking up in the morning?

"Every day think as you wake up, 'Today I'm fortunate to have woken up, I am alive. I have a precious human life and I am not going to waste it.
 I am going to use all my energies to develop myself to expand
 my heart onto others.'

To achieve enlightenment for the benefits
 of all beings, 

• I am going to have kind thoughts towards others,

• I am not going to get angry or think badly about others,
• I am going to benefit others as much as I can.

"

- Dalai Lama

Attitude is everything, and thinking good thoughts works wonders. Have a great day, today, and every day.

Breaking Out Of The Cage Of Consumerism

A life spent behind barcodes is no life at all

Global revolution has been fomenting for decades, but things have reached a boiling point recently. This is because we can finally see that governments and big business haven't got anything other than increasing their power and profit. We see that they are willing to sacrifice us, our freedoms, and the environment in their quest. We can see that we will have to save ourselves.

We may not have formal dictatorships in the West, although power does rest in the hands of a relatively small group of people. Often it is obtained by force or by inheritance. Globalism has spread this small group's greed around the world. Power and profits have never been better.

Regular folks have long felt impotent when up against such powerful forces, but no longer.

Enter Asmaa Mahfouz, a 26 year old Egyptian citizen. She is being praised for her part in the Egyptian revolution that ended Mubarek's decades long dictatorship. Before the revolution began to gain momentum, Mahfouz bravely recorded a video and posted it to the net. It was an invitation to the people, and a direct threat to one of the richest men in the world.

When I read the transcripts I was fascinated at how appropriate her plea was for any people experiencing oppression. She offered a solution to the suffering, and more importantly, she offered the hope that our participation would make a difference.

It doesn't matter if your oppression comes from a dictator, income inequality, a bank, or relentless, hollow, consumerism. We yearn to be free just the same. That is why Mahfouz recently made an appearance at the Occupy Together site in New York, and offered her support.

Oppression is oppression.

Quotes from Asmaa Mahfouz's video that helped topple the rich and powerful: 

"We want our human rights and nothing else."

"This entire government is corrupt."

"Whoever says it is not worth it because there will be only a handful of people, I want to tell him you are the reason behind this. And you are like a traitor, just like the President or any security cop who beats us in the streets. Your presence with us will make a difference, a big difference."

"Talk to your neighbours, your colleagues, friends and family and tell them to come. Just go down anywhere and say it - that we are free human beings."

"Sitting at home and just following us on news or Facebook leads to our humiliation, my own humiliation."

"If you don't do anything, then you deserve all that's being done to you.

And you will be guilty, before your nation and your people. And you'll be responsible for what happens to us on the street while you sit at home."

"Make people aware. You know your own social circle, your building, your family, your friends... tell them to come with us."

"Talk to people and tell them, this is enough."

"Let us do something positive. It will make a difference, a big difference. Never say there's no hope."

"Hope disappears only when you say there's no hope. So long as you join us, there will be hope."

"Don't think you can be safe anymore. None of us are. Come down with us and demand your rights, my rights, your family's rights."

"Say 'No' to corruption!"


We can put a stop to the economic dictators, and discover a better life than the empty, destructive one offered by consumerism. We can quit supporting the very tyranny which oppresses us by refusing to be lured in by unnecessary stuff, and choosing to live a better life with less.

To me, that is what small footprint, sustainable living is all about. It is the vehicle for individual participation that will empower us all to build a better world for everyone.

No Stress Monday

Simple Living could just as easily be called "Low Stress Living", or "Slow Living". This increasingly popular lifestyle has a focus on less work, fewer responsibilities, and reducing the financial burden of busyness.

After a while, the high-pressure, high-stress life fades away and you enter a STRESS FREE ZONE. Your shoulders drop, and you begin to live in the moment. You have more time for you, your family, and your community.

Not only that, but as you continue to live a less stressful life, the healthy habits you develop will lead to lowered reactivity toward stress, and a less-intense stress response.

No more crying over spilled milk! A less-intense stress response increases your sense of control, which further reduces stress levels.

There are many healthy habits we can adopt to reduce our stress levels, while increasing feelings of well-being and happiness.

Stress-Busting Strategies

If you find yourself getting upset practice letting it go. Make the decision not to get angry - sound anger management reduces stress.

Practice deep breathing. Breathe slowly for several breaths and feel your muscles relax.

If you feel overwhelmed by stress, try speaking more slowly than usual. By slowing down you will feel more in control, think more clearly, and react more reasonably to stressful situations.

Don't put things off. Procrastination is a huge stress inducer. Chose one simple thing you have been putting off and do it today. Enjoy the feeling you get when you cross it off your list.

Go for a walk outdoors, preferably in nature. Don't be deterred by the weather, just get out there and feel rejuvenated.

Drink enough water, eat enough calories, and get at least 8 hours of sleep. Hunger, dehydration, and drowsiness, before you are even aware of them, can cause feelings of anxiety and stress.

Maintain proper posture. Poor posture leads to muscle tension, pain, and increased stress.

Reward yourself at the end of the day. Take a relaxing bath, or set aside an hour with a good book. Put aside everything else and take the time to fully relax.

- adapted from: source.

NBA wishes you a slow, simple, and less stressful life. Do you have a stress-busting strategy that works for you? If so, please share in comments.

Occupy Your Mind

Revolutions don't start in the streets. They start with a thought, and are spawned when ideas from the past run up against the ideals of the future. Since revolution begins with ourselves, we should be wary of blaming forces outside of ourselves.

We talk about corporate greed, but in failing to address our own, we don't see how we are contributing to, and supporting corporate greed. Rampant consumerism is destroying the environment while creating record corporate profits and bonuses.

The dismal record of many corporations is public knowledge, but how many people have voluntarily reduced or altered their consumption to keep their cash from these faceless, unethical entities?

We talk about corruption in politics, and how our so-called democracies have been high-jacked by the 1%. But how many of us get out and vote? In the last Canadian federal election a significant number of eligible voters didn't vote. "The 39%" could change a lot if they exercised the power of their vote.

The first revolution we must win is the one in the mind. Each of us must first decide to turn and relent, and withdraw our actions which support the systems that have pushed us to the brink of ecological collapse.

First we occupy our minds. Then we change the world.

Say Something Nice

No doubt there are a lot of messed up things happening in the world today.

However, we should never let that shadow the beauty and joy of simply being alive in this place, at this time, with this group of people.

Watch the video below. Feel the joy. Then, think good thoughts, and say nice things.

Today say something nice - to yourself, and to others. Repeat.

Life is good. I love you.

How nice is that?

Ethical Alternatives: Inflation Fighters

Are your investments helping build a better world?

Prior to 2008, global financial events caused me to look closely at what was happening with my retirement savings. I did a complete investigation into what exactly was being done with my money. What I found out was troubling - damage was being done on my behalf so I could make money without doing any actual work or producing anything.

I learned that I had mutual funds invested in unsavory things like the Alberta Tar Sands. Further research unveiled weapons manufacturing, tobacco, and pharmaceutical companies (the same ones that are now targeting the under 5 crowd with their dodgy, profitable drugs). Most portfolios contain some or all of these unethical investments.


As a result of my inquiries, I liquidated everything. Since then I no longer watch the stock market in cycles of panic and elation, but rather, as a curiosity to see how the world I am extricating myself from is doing. But what about inflation?

We are told that unless we invest our money, it will slowly erode in purchasing power, and slip through our fingertips. Therefore, I have been brainstorming alternative strategies for overcoming inflation that are less harmful than traditional investments.

Ultimately, we need to work toward changing our monetary system and ending the manipulations by the financial industry and the governments that represent them. It is critical that we replace it with a system that benefits us all.

In the meantime, here are a few ideas that come to mind:

• Green/ethical investing allows you to invest and make a positive difference at the same time. This form of investing has tripled (in the UK) in the last decade as people seek to reduce the damage done on their behalf. However, there are differing opinions of what, exactly, constitutes 'ethical', so results may vary. Note: This week is National Ethical Investment Week in the UK.
• Deposit savings in a local credit union. Deposits are usually invested locally, so your investments are contributing toward improving conditions for you and your neighbours, not some CEO in a board room thousands of kilometers away. You still win even if you aren't making 10% annually.
• Reduce your budget by the amount of inflation.
• Grow a garden. Some of your best investments for the future may be things like seeds and gardening tools (and a good tent and camping gear).
• Keep a stocked pantry including foods that continue to go up in price. Some that I keep on hand are : peanut butter, flour, rice, beans, powdered milk, nuts, and the like.
• Cook your own food, bake your own bread.
• Reduce your expectations.
• Enjoy your money today without worrying what might happen in the future. For all we know, the entire financial system may collapse soon anyway.

No Peeing Standing Up Monday

Should peeing standing up be banned?

One of my pet peeves is in the news - peeing standing up. A restaurant in Vancouver, BC has 'no peeing standing up' stickers in its unisex washroom, which seems sensible to me. But since a journalist blogged about it, it has caused quite a splash in the media.

Some are wondering if it is a feminist plot, or if the restaurant owners were being 'totalitarian'. It is neither. Even though the owner said it was a joke, it does make good sense, and the restaurant supply store that sells them, stocks them for a good reason.

Even if you have perfect aim (few do), peeing standing up is unhygienic. It creates a mess for subsequent users and cleaners due to the physics of flowing liquids - there is the inevitable and dreaded 'splash back'. The corrosive urine damages surrounding surfaces, and it smells bad.

I pee sitting down, voluntarily, because it is a small gesture that I can make to maintain cleanliness in the restrooms that I use. Sitting is respectful of others, and generally makes life easier. Plus, no arguments about the position of the toilet seat.

Banning peeing standing up, although portrayed as a joke in the recent media coverage, has nothing to do with feminists or totalitarianism. It is about behaving proactively, and conducting your business respectfully in order to reduce life's unpleasant complications.

It seems very simple, and hardly newsworthy. However, if I can influence just one man to sit down to pee, it will be worthwhile. It is a learned behaviour after all - in Togo, women stand up to pee, while men sit or squat.

Be good to each other out there, and have a great week. May your toilet seats be dry, and your cleaning tasks lightened.

Simple Pleasures: Generosity

 Narayanan Krishnan: Companion To The Forgotten

"What is the ultimate purpose of life?" Narayanan Krishnan asks in the video above.

"Giving", he answers.

Generosity is a boon whether it is given, or received. If our problem is greed, then generosity is the solution.

"These are my friends", Mr. Krishnan says of the 400 homeless and hungry people he feeds and cares for. "I get energy from them."

Giving is the ultimate simple pleasure.

The Occupy Wave Engulfs The Globe

The discontent is global

First they ignored it. Then they belittled it. Then they responded with violent force, totally underestimating the depth of the discontent, and the power of the movement. The rallying cry of the 1%, and the agents of the state that work for them, seems to be, "We're Exclusive, We're Elusive, We're Totally Abusive!"

Pepper sprayings, beatings, and mass arrests have occurred as the 1%, and their corrupted political puppets, try to stifle the voice of the people. And yet, the Occupations have only grown.

In a show of unfathomable ignorance, or something worse, Canada's Finance Minister, Jim Flaherty, responded to the growing discontent by saying the protests were about "Wall Street, not Bay Street". Apparently, Jim is unaware of the global reach of Wall Street greed, or the plight of regular Canadians that have seen their quality of life degraded over the past 30 years.

Today we see how out of touch Canada's money guy was - the Occupy Movement has gone global. The thing that brings us together is our common oppression under corrupt governments, and an out of control economic system that can't help but destroy everything it touches.

The good news is that finally we have reached the breaking point - the masses have had enough. The environment has had enough. The global Occupy movement is empowering people to help make changes for a better, cleaner, more equitable world.

In order to make this happen we have to address the limitless greed of corporations, Wall Street, Bay Street, and the 1%. We also have to address our own greed, because our greed feeds the 1%. This is where simple living comes in.

Living more simply is a proven method for overcoming greed, especially our own. It helps us focus on our need. When we become less greedy, the effects ripple out in transformational waves of generosity.

The Occupy Movement: Making Peaceful Revolution Possible

Last week an Occupy San Francisco encampment was shut down by police. Occupy Denver will be shut down tonight, and in New York it appears that Mayor Bloomberg, after saying protesters could stay as long as they wanted, wants the peaceful occupiers out. The excuse he is using is that the park needs to be "cleaned", but cleaned of what?

Corporations make their wishes known through 'lobbying'. Big Money sends out lobbyists with suitcases full of cash to shower on our politicians when votes go the right way. The lobbyists are welcomed by our 'leaders', who then go on to influence policy that affects the corporate world's greedy plans for market domination.

In stark contrast is when the people make their wishes known. Then it is called "protesting". Citizens become "protesters", or "hippies", or "anarchists". A group of such citizens are a "mob", and they are dangerous regardless of how peaceful they may appear. The police, agents of the state, move in.

"Bad protester - Go Home!"

Lobbyists are given a seat at the table, while citizens exercising their free speech rights are harassed, arrested, jailed, then told to go home and wait for the next election.

In a democracy we have a responsibility to be engaged in our political system at all times. When we see injustice it is our responsibility to speak out and demand change from the individuals we vote to represent us.

If we are not allowed to do this peacefully, then do we really live in a democracy any more?

Corporate media will tell you that the Occupy Movement does not have a coherent message. For those that are actually listening, and are not threatened by the truths within, the message can be heard loud and clear:

"Over the last 30 years, the 1% have created a global economic system - neoliberalism - that attacks our human rights and destroys our environment. Neoliberalism is worldwide - it is the reason you no longer have a job, it is the reason you cannot afford healthcare, education, food, your mortgage. Neoliberalism is your future stolen. 

Neoliberalism is everywhere, gutting labor standards, living wages, social contracts, and environmental protections. It is "a great vampire squid wrapped around the face of humanity, relentlessly jamming its blood funnel into anything that smells like money." It is a system that ravages the global south and creates global financial crisis - crisis in Spain, in Greece, in the United States. It is a system built on greed and thrives on destablizing shocks. It allows the 1% to enrich themselves by impoverishing humanity. 

This has to stop!
We must usher in an era of democratic and economic justice.
We must change, we must evolve. 

On October 15th the world will rise up as one and say, "We have had enough! We are a new beginning, a global fight on on all fronts that will usher in an era of shared prosperity, respect, mutual aid, and dignity."

- From occupywallst.org

Let's make peaceful revolution possible. On October 15th let your elected officials know how you feel about the present state of the world. Do something to express your freedom of speech and celebrate our democratic rights.

• write a letter
• send an email
• make up a sign with a catchy slogan, and picket City Hall, or a bank, or a country club.
• vow to spend as little money as possible on corporate crap
• support local small businesses in your community
• Work hard, have fun, and change the world - it is your right, and your responsibility

Compassion Is Sustainable

In today's world, practicing compassion is revolutionary

Compassion is considered in all the major religious traditions as among the greatest of virtues. It is one of the keys to lasting happiness. Any human endeavor that lacks compassion is doomed to fail - compassion is a necessity, not a luxury.

But what is compassion?

"Compassion is a virtue — one in which the emotional capacities of empathy and sympathy (for the suffering of others) are regarded as a part of love itself, and a cornerstone of greater social interconnection and humanism — foundational to the highest principles in philosophy, society, and personhood.

More vigorous than empathy, compassion commonly gives rise to an active desire to alleviate another's suffering. It is often, though not inevitably, the key component in what manifests in the social context as altruism. In ethical terms, the various expressions down the ages of the so-called Golden Rule embody by implication the principle of compassion: Do to others what you would have them do to you." - source

Do we even know what virtues are these days? The mainstream is more about vices and vanities. This is one reason people are unsatisfied with our present economic system. It lacks compassion. A mechanical Tin Man, it is completely heartless. The Man is great at maximizing profit, but not so good on maximizing human potential.

This is why one of the rallying cries of the Occupy Movement is "People, Not Profits". It is a call for compassion, for a more humane, less harmful way of living. It is about putting a heart into the empty chest of the sad, hollow man that is our economic system. Each of us can help by practicing compassion in our own lives.

Caring for others, and the environment leads one to attempt to reduce the amount of harm that is being done on one's behalf. Living a low impact, more sustainable life ultimately comes down to compassion.

One way I can reduce the harm I am doing during my brief stay on this wonderful planet is to reduce my consumption. Through the act of not buying anything--or as little as possible, while still maintaining a satisfying life--I reduce my impact on other people, environmental systems, and all living things.

This unconventional way of life requires what at first feels like sacrifices, but they are made willingly in a spirit of reducing the suffering of all living beings. Soon they are not sacrifices at all, but love letters that you send out to the world with each sustainable decision you make.

Like the Dalai Lama said, "For the happiness of others, practice compassion. For your own happiness, practice compassion."

No Empire Monday

"The decline of Empire has begun and the revolution against it is in progress." - from Empire, M. Hardt and A. Negri

In Trainspotting, the main character, Mark Renton, decides to go clean and quit heroin. He is successful in doing so, and tries to "choose life" like the regular people he sees around him. Why, I am not sure.

Eventually Renton gives up his addiction, and looks forward to a 'better' life of mindless consumer addiction while living a culturally approved script.

"I'm going to be just like you: the job, the family, the fucking big television, the washing machine, the car, the compact disc and electrical tin opener, good health, low cholesterol, dental insurance, mortgage, starter home, leisurewear, luggage, three-piece suit, DIY, game shows, junk food, children, walks in the park, nine to five, good at golf, washing the car, choice of sweaters, family Christmas, indexed pension, tax exemption, clearing the gutters, getting by, looking ahead, to the day you die."

This is what he quit drugs for? This is what we have traded our freedom for? It is no wonder the masses are growing restless, and are beginning to challenge notions of Empire. The dream of democracy, and a better life has turned out to be a bit of a nightmare for millions of pacified workers.

People are working more and more for less and less, and are not happy about it. Negri and Hardt in their book Empire, have good news for these victims of contemporary global capitalism. They say that capitalism, "although seemingly impervious to anti-systemic challenge, is in fact vulnerable at all points to riot and rebellion."

Maybe the Mark Rentons of the world will find that consumer addiction and adhering to the regular life script can be as hazardous to your health as hard drugs. But rather than go back to heroin, perhaps they will join a protest somewhere, and hit back at the dead end choices we are offered by the men behind the curtains.

Perhaps they will say no to the addictions of capitalism and stuff, and gain their freedom through living simply. Perhaps rather than support it, they will help bring the Empire down.

The Empire is falling--they always do--and when it does, The People will resume control. Together we will create better, more sustainable and equitable ways of doing things.

Simple Pleasures: Friendship

Everyone needs at least one good friend

Henry David Thoreau made a study of simple pleasures, and said, "Superfluous wealth can buy superfluities only. Money is not required to buy one necessity of the soul." The most important of these necessities is friendship.

Money can buy a lot of things, but it can not buy friends. The only way to have friends is to be a friend, and you don't need money for that. In addition to not needing money to enjoy the simple pleasures of friendship, nothing else in life will yield such enjoyable, enriching, goodness. Nothing.

Research has largely confirmed the hypothesis of diminishing returns to increased consumerism. Successive increments of consumption give decreasing amounts of satisfaction since people’s most pressing needs will be satisfied first and then as consumption rises further, successively less and less pressing needs will be met.

Before long, continued consumption feels hollow and meaningless. Not so with friendship. It does not matter how much time you spend with a good friend, the payoffs continue to multiply instead of fade. Increasing returns, rather than diminishing. You can not say that about many things in life.

Without the simple pleasures of friendship, our existence would be dull and lifeless. Friends supply a critical requirement of the soul, and are solid proof that the best things in life are free.

Thanks Mr. Jobs

 

Steve Jobs was only 56 years old, but what a 56 years he had. He lived fully, and without regrets. Jobs packed a lot of creativity into his limited days, and changed our world while he did it.

 

I have been using Apple computers since the 1980's, and although critics say you can't be a minimalist or simple living person AND have a computer, these computers have made my life more simple. 

Gone are my stacks of vinyl albums. My boom box was replaced with a first-generation iPod, which I still have and use. I haven't had what we used to call a 'stereo system' for years, and back in the day all those clunky components took up a lot of room. 

 

My computers gave me access to information, making many of my books redundant. I sold them, then gave away my book shelves. The day timer notebook, that I never did like, was retired when the efficiency of computers took over. And for writing, there is nothing like a computer.

I currently work on a 5 year old iBook G4 laptop that just won't quit. It has allowed me to do things I could only dream of when I started university in 1984 with my first MacIntosh computer. 

 

The communication and research possibilities of computer networks has unleashed a great sharing as we have never seen before. We are creating a global community for the first time, and that will serve us well moving forward. We will need to work together to achieve our goals.

So thanks, Steve Jobs. Your contributions have helped me achieve my goals of communicating with others, and sharing my thoughts and ideas. And yes, your stuff helped me simplify my life. 

 

More importantly, it has helped me make more effective use of my limited time.

Need Not Greed

Whether you call it reducing your ecological footprint, sustainable/green living, or living simply, all directly or indirectly address the problem of greed. Gandhi, a simple living advocate, knew that the earth could provide for everyone's need, but not their greed. And yet our whole system is based on the premise that humans are basically greedy, and that this greed can be used for good.

Another Indian thinker, Rabindranath Tagore, stated very clearly the dangers of basing an economic system on greed.

"The greed of gain has no time or limit to its capaciousness. Its one object is to produce and consume. It has pity neither for beautiful nature nor for living human beings. It is ruthlessly ready without a moment's hesitation to crush beauty and life out of them, molding them into money."

Had Tagore lived past 1941 to the present era, he might have been shocked and disappointed by the flagrant and institutionalized greed. All over the world people are fighting back, and I am sure he would have joined them. People are tired of the cruel effects of harsh, heartless systems that crush all the beauty out of life while trying to turn the greatest profit.

E.F. Schumacher, in Small is Beautiful, reminded us of how we can do battle with the ever-present enemy, greed. He suggested we could disarm greed and envy "by being much less greedy and envious ourselves; perhaps by resisting the temptation of letting our luxuries become needs; and perhaps by even scrutinizing our needs to see if they cannot be simplified and reduced."

The ideas and attitudes referred to by these wonderful teachers are reflected in my life through the practice of low-impact, (more) sustainable, simple living. By living a lifestyle guided by my needs, I reduce the amount of damage being done on my behalf.

I want to create and sustain beauty, not crush it for selfish personal gain. I can do this by resisting temptations to give in to luxury and excess, and by living simply.

Sustainability Challenge Monday

Although most people would agree that sustainable practices make good sense, there is no agreed upon definition of sustainability that suits everyone. However, the following definition makes a lot of sense:

"Sustainability is a practice of living in a way that balances immediate needs of living (food, shelter, travel, energy, work and play) with future needs for the same resources in a way that supports nature, and conserves natural resources."

If we are not living sustainably, we are borrowing capital from future generations, and degrading ecological systems we rely on for survival.

We must give up ideas of unlimited growth on a limited planet. Living sustainably will ensure future needs will be met, nature is preserved, and resources are used with economy and efficiency.

Take the sustainability challenge - do it for your kids, for nature, for our continued survival.

Join The Simple Living Revolution

Simple living - its time has come around, again.

Revolution is coming. The time is ripe for a peaceful overthrow of a system rife with built-in waste and corruption. Thousands of Occupy Wall Street participants are evidence of a growing dissatisfaction with corporate infiltration of our governments, and the global economic terrorism being waged for the benefit of the few.

In these times of monumental vanity and greed living with less can be seen as a revolutionary act. When we are being encouraged to want more everything, living simply is taking a stand against the status quo.

Critics may say voluntary simplicity is a throw-back in time. It is. A throw-back to a time when we were satisfied with the basics, and weren't using more than the planet could provide sustainably. This is evidence of revolving, not devolving.

Remember that revolution also means 'motion in a circular course'. Life is not linear, it is cyclical, and simple living is a way of living whose time is coming around again.

Most of the planet's inhabitants still live simply. We used to live simply (and happily), too, and we will again. Our survival depends on it.

Join the simple living revolution.