

Fast forward to today, the work is ongoing. My “support group” currently resides between
the covers of three books: EVERYDAY HOLINESS by Alan Morinis, FREEDOM OF SIMPLICITY by Richard Foster, and
THE BUDDHIST PATH TO SIMPLICITY by Christina Feldman.
As my husband and I age, we are acutely aware of a desire
not to leave a huge mess for our kids when we “shuffle off this mortal
coil.” So simplifying has a very
concrete reality attached to it. We
need to downsize our pile of “stuff.” I
am the first to admit that this process is physically, emotionally and
spiritually exhausting, as well as very time consuming. Every book, every tchotchke, every old photo, every piece
of furniture evokes emotions, memories, and the inevitable choice of whether to
retain or let go.

As I reflect on the notion of “radical obedience” I am aware
that this is a challenge to the various idolatries of “more”, “bigger”, “shinier”, “newer.” “Radical dependence” implies letting go of a
lot of contingency plans - the illusion that I can create a secure, worry free future if I can acquire
just the right “stuff.” And that
inevitably leads to more complexity - - how to insure it all? where to store the excess? how to protect from the corruption of moths
and dust? As Foster notes: The idolatry of affluence is rampant. Our greed for more dictates so many of our
decisions.”
On a personal level,
greed might determine where I choose to live, how I spend my resources, what I demand in the way of
services and resources to keep me comfortable in the manner to which I have
become accustomed. In the larger world greed
for more determines whose land will be violated for more oil. Greed determines which oceans will be
polluted with untold square miles of plastic waste. The need to protect what we “have” dictates who may enter
this country and who must leave. Greed
dehumanizes life from the highest levels of government on down. Radical dependence and radical obedience are somewhat alien
concepts - - easily rejected challenges to our unexamined way of being..


The principle behind this wisdom is “being content with what
we have,” perhaps identifying what we
really need and separating it from all that we want. Again from Morinis: “A need is different from a desire.
A need really is essential. A
desire on the other hand, is backed by an emotional force that turns it into a
virtual demand: I have to have it. And it
is our desires that create trouble for us.
Desires can commandeer our lives on behalf of their fulfillment. And
when they go unrealized, they deliver up anxiety, anger, frustration, and
unethical behavior that we want to avoid.”
Thankfully, when confronted with our everyday desires, most
of us have a built in mechanism that keeps us from veering into unethical
behavior in order to achieve what we want.
But I would venture to say that few of us are free of the anxiety and
frustration that accompany our desires.
Therein lies the challenge to simplify, I think - - to do the spiritual
work of downsizing in the “desire department” in order to experience a simpler
sense of inner peace.

Whew!! Exploring the
path to simplicity is anything but simple.
The very micro-environment of my home becomes a constant external
reminder of the internal work I need to be doing. So - just for today - my inner focus will be
on “learning to listen to the sounds of the universe” in order to discern more
clearly where I need to dismantle my own personal “armory of fear, mistrust,
and imprisonment of self.”
It seems to be a fundamental truth that a path to
liberation, whether in the inward realms of spirit or in the external world of
wealth, power and politics, may be found in the discipline of simplicity.
Vicky Hanjian
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