(an excerpt from my upcoming book, Yearning for Simplicity. The book is a derivative work of the 1905 book, “The Simple Life”, by Charles Wagner.)
Last week we lost a faithful servant in our household. Our clothes washing machine gave up the ghost and it became necessary to replace it. We drove down to the appliance store to obtain a replacement. A simple task, right? Walking in the door we made straight for that area that had washers. After a few moments, a nice man came to our aid, seeing that we were confused and in need of help, he began explaining the array of features and benefits; this one can tell how dirty the clothes are, another one talks when buttons are pushed, some were fashioned by a famous designer, others were made out of the finest stainless steel available, and so on. I broke in with one question for the nice man, “Do you have any that are good at washing clothes”? His face went slack, he looked like someone who had just been told that they had been adopted!
What is a good lamp? It is not the most elaborate, wrought of the finest materials, a good lamp is a lamp that gives good light! And so we are good people and good citizens not by reason of the number of goods and pleasures we can procure for ourselves, not through our intellectual and artistic culture, nor because of the honors and independence we enjoy; but by virtue of the strength of our moral fiber.
Before considering a return to the simplicity we yearn for, it is necessary to define simplicity in it’s essence. This is the heart of the study of simplicity, it is learning to place the essential ahead of the secondary. When one reviews the individual causes that disturb and complicate our lives, they all lead back to this: confusing the secondary with the essential. Material comfort, liberty, education, in short, the whole of civilization, these things make up the frame of the picture, but the frame no more makes the picture than the uniform makes the soldier. Here the picture is a human being, a being with it’s most intimate possessions—namely, it’s conscience, it’s character, and it’s will. And while we have been elaborating and garnishing the frame, we have forgotten, neglected, disfigured the picture.
We are loaded with external good and miserable in spiritual life. We fill up our lives with things that we could easily do without and are poor in the one thing needful. Our possessions, our titles, our appetites, when given so much attention, become stronger than our will. We feel buried by the weight of trivialities, cares, and a nagging feeling that we are not being true to ourselves. The frame does not make the picture, the clothes do not make the man, you are not defined by your net worth, or your job title. Are you comfortable in your own skin? Do you sleep well, the sleep of the just? Is your conscience clear? Examine that which you deem essential in your life. An hour of honest illumination is worth more than a lifetime spent in darkness.