Since the end of World War II, the United States has prospered at a rate previously unseen in the history of the world. The U.S. economy, even in down times, produces more than any other nation has ever produced. As consumers, Americans have no equal. The luxuries of one generation become standard possessions of the next.

Surveys consistently show, however, that Americans are no happier than their parents were a generation ago. With all the modern conveniences available to us -- from VCRs to microwaves to cell phones to 57" TVs with surround sound and picture-in-picture -- and 24-hour internet shopping convenience to acquire these items at any time of day or night -- why haven't we found a way to increase our happiness?

While most Americans continue to seek comfort in possessions, a growing number are waking up to the fact that happiness is not something money can buy.

Voluntary Simplicity

In 1981, Duane Elgin published a book entitled Voluntary Simplicity, in which he described a way of life which is "outwardly simple, inwardly rich". The book struck a chord with many people from all walks of life, and its influence continues to grow more than twenty years later as people choose to walk away from the stresses of the rat race and into a life of balance.

Voluntary simplicity is not a form of asceticism. It's not a contest to see who can give up the most. It doesn't require you to move to a cabin in the woods and trap rabbits for food. At its essence, simplicity is a mindset. It is a way of life that focuses on the things that matter, and lets go of things that don't.

Voluntary simplicity is not a movement. Protesters do not gather in front of city hall to fight for the right to live on less. You won't see anyone marching for legal protection for non-consumers. Simplicity is a personal choice -- a voluntary choice -- made by more and more people every year.

Voluntary simplicity is not an abandonment of the standard of living of the industrial world. Voluntary simplicity does not mean telling developing nations that they are forbidden to strive for same standard of living we have achieved. It does not mean outlawing luxury items like motor boats and SUVs. Voluntary simplicity means living deliberately. It means being driven by values, not by status. It means leaving precious non-renewable resources for future generations. It means living as a citizen, not a consumer.

Three Facets of Voluntary Simplicity

Because simplicity is a state of mind and not a set of rules, it is impossible to give a dictionary definition of a simple life. But people who attempt to simplify their lives find three avenues for doing so. Often, they find that these are interrelated. By simplifying in one of these three ways, they automatically simplify their lives in other ways.

Financial

To live a life of voluntary simplicity is to recognize that money does not buy happiness, that the best things in life do not always come with a price tag. Many people are introduced to the simple life through financial considerations -- often by realizing their lives are being consumed as they spend more time at work, trying to earn more money to pay their ever-increasing debts.

A financially simple life is one in which the goal is not to die with the most toys. It may mean cutting back on eating out, in order to save money to pay off debts. It may mean taking a walk in the park instead of going to a movie on Friday night. It may mean saving for an early retirement, in order to be able to spend full time pursuing the things that matter. Or it may mean taking a lower-paying job to reduce stress or to have more time with the family.

Ecological

To live a life of voluntary simplicity is to recognize that we have one earth, and that its resources are finite. How we use those resources has effects not only in our neighborhood, but around the world. Recent droughts in Africa have resulted from the leveling of rainforests in South America. The industrial world's heavy use of clorofluorocarbons has depleted the ozone above Antarctica.

An ecologically simple life is one which contributes as little as possible to the depletion of non-renewable resources and to the poisoning of the air, land, and water. The SUV and the jet skis may bring us status and a few weekends of fun, but they do so at the expense of the standard of living of future generations.

Spiritual

To live a life of voluntary simplicity is to recognize the importance of spirituality. To many people, the word spirituality is synonymous with religion. But although religion and spirituality are often intertwined, spirituality involves far more than religious values. Goodness, beauty, and truth, wherever they may be found, are spiritual values. Both a garden and a symphony have spiritual qualities. A quiet evening spent with good friends can be a spiritually uplifting experience.

A spiritually simple life is one which values our families, friends, and neighbors more than our possessions. It may involve spending the evening on the front lawn listening to the neighbors brag about their kids or their vacation to Australia, rather than sitting inside watching "Who Wants to be a Millionaire". It may mean inviting friends over more often to catch up on each others' lives. It may mean arranging vacation time to visit relatives in another city, or another state. And for those of us who are religious it may involve taking time away from everyone and everything, to spend some quality time in prayer.

Final thoughts

Henry David Thoreau simplified his life by building a cabin in the woods by Walden Pond. But his cabin was within walking distance of town, and hardly a day went by that he didn't have at least one visitor. Sometimes he had as many as twenty-five to thirty. For Thoreau, getting away from civilization enabled him to meet with more people than he ever could in town.

And so it is with simplicity. Though it sounds like we must give up something in order to simplify our lives, we find that by letting go of the non-essentials, we actually enrich our lives as we have more time and energy to spend on the things that really matter.