Simple Living And War Resistance

"If we don't end war, war will end us." - H.G. Wells

Money has power, so the withholding of money has power too. 

So the practice of simple living (earning and spending just enough for a life that meets basic needs) withholds money not only from exploitive corrupt corporate entities destroying the environment, but also from corrupt violent governments perpetuating endless wars. 

Chances are your government is one of those using your tax dollars to wage war. I know mine certainly is. 

That is one reason I live simply, and have made do on a small income when I could have made more. 

Living this way I do not pay income taxes, and therefore don't pay for war. It is a way to resist not only the war machine, but also the corporate war on our planet.

 

"Simple living choices can be part of a lifestyle of nonviolent resistance. The more you examine your economic behavior, the more you learn of your entanglement with the military-industrial complex and of your power to untangle yourself. 

You can help build parallel economic systems based on cooperation and sustainable choices rather than on consumerism, resource depletion, and exploitation. 

By participating in such alternatives, you live the revolution in values that is necessary for peace with justice. Each economic choice you make can be a witness to your values." 

From the pamphlet: Low Income/Simple Living as War Tax Resistance

War resistance through not paying income tax is not the main reason I live simply, but it is a wonderful fringe benefit.

It is hard enough to pay for the essentials in life these days, why pay for war on top of that? 

When we make do with enough and no more, we join a revolution in values that has the power to end war and exploitation wherever it exists.