If we own it, we feel we can control it and if we can control it, we feel it will give us more pleasure. Owning things is an obsession in our culture. Beware of the promise, “It will pay for itself in six months.” Most gadgets are built to break down and wear out and so complicate our lives rather than enhance them.įifth, learn to enjoy things without owning them. Timesaving devices almost never save time. If you find that you are becoming attached to some possession, consider giving it to someone who needs it.įourth, refuse to be propagandized by the custodians of modern gadgetry. Third, develop a habit of giving things away. Learn to distinguish between a real psychological need, like cheerful surroundings, and an addiction. Second, reject anything that is producing an addiction in you. When you are considering an apartment, a condominium, or a house, thought should be given to livability rather than how much it will impress others. Cars should be bought for their utility, not their prestige. I think that’s the paradox of simplicity: the lesser I own on the outside, the fuller I feel on the inside.įoster suggests ten outward expressions or practices of simplicity that I found useful:įirst, buy things for their usefulness rather than their status. And over the years, I have discovered that living a life of simplicity helps me to recognize and nurture the richness and complexity of my soul. Ever since reading Celebration of Discipline by Richard Foster as a teenager, I have tried to practice simplicity as part of my spiritual life.
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