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Thread: Radical Simplicity

  1. #21
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    I love Merton's translations of the DF's poetry and writings. Good stuff! There are still several coptic priests who live that way.

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    i think it is One Man's Wilderness! *Love it!* I'm truly inspired by him!

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    I think that there's a dance between the inner arisings and disciplines and also the outter suggestions coming together to form an individuated way of "radical simplicity."

    My husband and I tend toward very specific design ideas: scandinavian, zen (particularly japanese), christian monastic (cistercian -- Into Great Silence is a great film, btw, showing a "year in the life"), and even muslim influences with their spare and unadorned (as opposed to the extensive geometric tileworks) homes, religious centers, etc as well. Most have white walls, natural materials, and minimal furnishings and adornments.

    This is really where we are heading, but in a 'western' way. it is simplicity, and we do live with very little -- and it could be prehaps far more than other people would consider spiritually or personally important. . .

    but for us it is about finding that balance.

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    though our current radical simplicity is around food -- no left overs, no waste, etc. We find ourselves really being mindful of ever egg, every piece of meat, every vegetable and fruit. the other day, I had simple some "odds and ends" of veggies -- truly, a lot of random roots -- that were about to 'go bad.' as it was, they were limp.

    i chopped them up and made soup from them. the soup was delicious, and it was one of those ways that i was working toward "no wasting food!" we used to waste a fair bit.

    it's a zen practice, actually, to not waste *any* food at all, and it's been an *amazing* practice for us to do.

  2. #22
    Senior Member Anne Lee's Avatar
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    Tradd, I've only read a bit here and there. Our family devotional a few months back focused on them. I don't know if I'm ready for that level of simplifying yet. Thank you for sharing. I am intrigued!
    Formerly known as Blithe Morning II

  3. #23
    Senior Member Tradd's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Anne Lee View Post
    Tradd, I've only read a bit here and there. Our family devotional a few months back focused on them. I don't know if I'm ready for that level of simplifying yet. Thank you for sharing. I am intrigued!
    Definitely something to aspire to! Someone suggested to me on another forum that if a fellow Orthodox said anything negative to me about being a minimalist, I should just tell them I'm inspired by the Desert Fathers!

    Three examples from the "Possessing Nothing" chapter in the Penguin edition:

    P. 54 (Kindle edition - I can copy and paste when it's on my computer!): "Evagrius said that there was a brother who had no possessions except a Gospel book and he sold it in order to feed the poor. He said something worth remembering: ‘I have sold even the word that commands me to sell all and give to the poor.'"

    P. 56: "A brother said to Serapion, ‘Give me a word.’ But he replied, ‘What can I say to you? You have taken what belongs to widows and orphans and put it on your window-ledge.’ He saw that the window-ledge was full of books."

    P. 58: "A great man came from a distance to Scetis carrying gold, and he asked the presbyter of the desert to distribute it among the brothers. But the presbyter said to him, ‘The brothers do not need it.’ But he was very pressing, and would not give way, and put a basket of money in the church porch. So the presbyter said, ‘Whoever is in need may take money from here.’ No one touched it, some did not even look at it. The presbyter said, ‘God has accepted your offering to him. Go away and give it to the poor.’ He went away very much edified."

  4. #24
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    i have to be very mindful and temper myself, too. i'll explain later, after lunch.

    and then after dinner. . . lol

    so, here's my deal. i can be an extremist. during my formative years (14-18), i studied the desert fathers, tertullian, zen buddhism, and of course, worked with mother theresa's sisters in the poorest neighborhoods in our city.

    i could get very easily extreme about it all -- quite honestly -- and often dream about how to live more and more and more simply with less and less and less. but ultimately, i discovered that I, personally, do need some more stability and creature comforts than the desert fathers.

    that is to say, i found sleeping on the floor very difficult, such that i wouldn't call it "sleeping." i grant you, perhaps after a year (as opposed to several months), i would have adapted. but having a bed is really nice. and, i did have to get on with living -- making a living that is -- because i wasn't really interested in joining a convent or other form of dedicated, intentional community with vows of poverty and such. largely because it reminded me of the military -- you go where they tell you. I wasn't keen on that. LOL

    so, i had this struggle about how i'll read those things and be like "OMG, i totally have 6 folding dining chairs -- used mind you -- and i really only use 3 every day (DS, DH, and myself), so I could totally give three away!" but then i remember that we often have people over for meals, and actually use all 6 chairs, so. . . there we go. I actually do use 6 chairs regularly. ok, i do have a second bed, and it goes rarely used. i bought it because i thought we'd be transitioning DS, but honestly, we like having him in bed with us. it's really awesome. so, maybe later. and, we do use it for guests, though we rarely have overnight guests.

    i guess what i'm saying is that for me, it's largely about balance. i can go too far in either direction -- too eager for stuff, too eager to get rid of it or let it go. So, i have to seek balance. I have to temper myself. I have to allow myself to live a bit comfortably, within reason for where i am in life and how i live and all of that (eg, our dining table came at DS's request).

    so, yeah.
    Last edited by Zoebird; 8-14-11 at 4:15am.

  5. #25
    Senior Member Anne Lee's Avatar
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    Zoebird, I hear ya. Keeping stuff requires a different grace than giving it all away. Stuff in and of itself is not the problem. It's the meaning and the value we ascribe to stuff that causes the problem, making stuff into something that was never intended. Heck, I think there are good and valuable reasons to have stuff - to practice the discipline of stewardship for example. To bless others. To understand God as a provider. To free up time from doing mundane tasks to do more important things (although that's one that requires ruthless honesty and humility as mundane tasks can be a grace unto themselves.)

    By the way, I enjoyed your thoughts on food waste. About six months ago, news about food waste and carbon footprint made the rounds. I haven't done anything with it. I'll file it in my subconscious and see if and when it comes bubbling up.

    As I've been ruminating on this the last few days, I've been realizing that maybe my desire for radical simplicity is going to mean first decluttering my soul.
    Formerly known as Blithe Morning II

  6. #26
    Senior Member catherine's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Anne Lee View Post

    As I've been ruminating on this the last few days, I've been realizing that maybe my desire for radical simplicity is going to mean first decluttering my soul.
    I know exactly what you mean: In the past I've drawn inspiration from Peace Pilgrim, and recently, I really love Richard Rohr. The Naked Now is an amazing book--and he has a book on spiritual simplicity called (duh) Simplicity: The Freedom of Letting Go. He draws spiritual strength also from the natural world.

    Here's his website http://www.cacradicalgrace.org/

    I also love Catherine Doherty's book, Poustinia. http://www.madonnahouse.org/publicat.../poustinia.htm
    "Do any human beings ever realize life while they live it--every, every minute?" Emily Webb, Our Town
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  7. #27
    Senior Member Sissy's Avatar
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    I checked Amazon for Poustina and it was not available on Kindle. I contacted the publisher,who knows? It sounds great, I am really trying to use my Kindle and not buy more books. (now that sounds shallow, doesn't it?

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    Anne Lee, I can second that book recommendation of Catherine's for Twelve by Twelve, by William Powers. I serendipitously came upon it in a library, thinking it looked, cover-wise, a bit, well, "lame", but that I'd see what was in there. It was interesting, yes, and turned out to be much more thought-provoking than expected. (so much for judging a book by its cover) It sounds like it's along the lines of what you were initially requesting.

  9. #29
    Senior Member KayLR's Avatar
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    I think the first thing I would do deemed radical (for me) toward a more spiritually balanced life would be to get rid of the tv. Simple as that. It would "radically" change my life really quickly.

    More realistically (since I co-habitate with a tv monger) is to give it up as much as possible and create a sacred space in my house for me, myself, reading and meditation.

    Actually, I have started this, but it gets sidetracked by baseball. :-(
    My therapist told me the way to achieve true inner peace is to finish what I start. So far today, I have finished two bags of M&Ms and a chocolate cake. I feel better already!

  10. #30
    Senior Member Tradd's Avatar
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    I don't go as far as the Desert Fathers, but I definitely draw on them for inspiration!

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