Voluntary Simplicity

Hello, internet world! Charlotte here, for the first time on Passion Pancakes.

I was driven to write a little something here today because of some interesting ideas that I’ve been exposed to recently, ideas that I am stoked to explore more deeply and share!

I’ve joined a discussion circle on campus called “Voluntary Simplicity” in which we meet once a week and talk about a chapter of the course manual. There are around 8-12 people in a group, and these groups are held all over the Pacific Northwest (and elsewhere, as well!) There are 10 people in our group, from diverse backgrounds and holding a whole variety of value systems – yet we all hold the common interest in simplifying our lives.

So, what exactly is voluntary simplicity? I’ll lay it down for you:

Voluntary Simplicity involves both inner and outer condition. It involves singleness of purpose, sincerity and honesty within, as well as avoidance of exterior clutter, of many possessions irrelevant to the chief purpose of life. It means an ordering and guiding of our energy and our desires, a partial restraint in some directions in order to secure a greater abundance of life in other directions. It involves a deliberate organization of life for a purpose. Of course, as different people have different purposes in life, what is relevant to the purpose of one person might not be relevant to the purpose of another… The degree of simplification is a matter for each individual to settle for himself.

So what does this look like? Here are some examples:

1. Limiting material possessions to what is needed and/or cherished.
2. Meaningful work, whether paid or volunteer, ideally spending no more than 30 hours per week (in order to make time for items # 3 to 12, below).
3. Quality relationships with friends and family.
4. Joyful and pleasurable leisure activities.
5. A conscious and comfortable relationship with money.
6. Connection to community, but not necessarily in formal organizations.
7. Sustainable consumption practices.
8. Healthy living practices, including exercise, adequate sleep, and nutritious food.
9. Practices that foster personal growth, an inner life, or spirituality, such as yoga, meditation, prayer, religious ceremonies, journal writing, and spiritually-related reading.
10. Connection to nature-delighting in spending time in nature regularly.
11. Aesthetic beauty in personal environment.
12. Living in harmony with values and integrity.

Beautiful.

So basically, Voluntary Simplicity is about living consciously. It’s about making choices for how you wish to live, instead of letting life string you along aimlessly.

I already hold many of the values of Voluntary Simplicity, but I’m really excited to spend time discussing this with others and formulating new ideas!

I’ll let you know how it goes.

-Charlotte