On Simplicity

Like humble, the word simple means modest, unassuming and unpretentious.  Furthermore it means not complex or complicated.  There is a certain naturalness and easiness about a person who has has simple needs and a simple lifestyle.  Simple people usually pose no difficulties and are easy to get along with.  They are for the most part transparent and it isn't hard to know what they are thinking.  When I think of simplicity,  I think of nature.  A tree just grows and a flower just is.  They know no other way.  People with a simple demeanor usually live a very quiet life and are better at "being" than "doing."  They have few belongings and therefore do not have to make many decisions. For example, people who have a lot of material things such as clothes, have so many decisions, such as what to wear, that it can be confusing and overwhelming.  As a matter of fact, this afternoon, knowing my topic tonight was going to be on simplicity, I started cleaning out my closets.  I  have done this before and it gave me a sense of freedom to release material possessions I don't need to those who may be able to use them,  A very good example of a simplistic lifestyle was that of Ralph Waldo Emerson who had a cabin in Concord Massachusetts in the 1800's where he immersed himself in nature.  It was here that he wrote his essays and poems.  Emerson was a transcendentalist who believed  in a person's natural spirituality and intuition.  One of his famous quotes is, "What lies behind us, and what lies before us, are a tiny matter compared to what lies within us."   Emerson would be surprised at the materialism of today's world.  Everywhere we look we are being prompted to buy, and we do.  We could learn a lesson from the simple way Ralph Waldo Emerson lived his life.  His profound thoughts and philosophies are still known and studied today, mainly by those who cherish the simple type of life that Emerson led.