By Russ Gerber
If cleanliness is next to godliness , then my future is bright .
It ’ s always appealed to me to pare down unimportant things and filter out excess information , which quickly adds up to an overloaded life . Streamlining whenever possible comes naturally and feels right .
That is why you can imagine my delight when spotting the book “ The Power of Less ” by Leo Ba-bauta in a local bookstore . Thumbing through it , I could see how much he values identifying what ’ s essential , staying
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focused on things that matter , setting limits on the non-essential stuff that easily clutters schedules , and seeing the positive impact this has on our lives .
Conventional wisdom says that in today ’ s multi-channel world , such a blueprint for orderliness makes a whole lot of sense . But conventional wisdom goes only so far .
Those who feel driven to redeem themselves from the clutter and noise that often add up to stress-ful living should consider that they may be responding to something deeper , to their inherent spir-itual nature , and rebelling against that which is out of sync with it .
It should come as no surprise that spiritual life and harmony would find expression in being drawn to more calm , peacefulness , stability and orderliness . It ’ s an impulsion that lifts up human life .
People from all walks of life are responding to this impulse and gravitating to a higher quality of life . I spoke to one the other day at a bakery on Forest Avenue . She mentioned that she was start-ing to pursue spiritual practices , praying , studying scriptural
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texts , and wanting to help others , all because she felt the beneficial effect of having a more spiritually centered life . The flip side of that coin is what happens to people when they drift in the opposite direction and are driven increasingly by a materialistic lifestyle and a self-centered outlook . Paul may have seen what happens to the drifters when he warned the Romans , “ Be not conformed to this world .”
Such a mindset forfeits productivity and efficiency and struggles with worry and stress . When we reach a point where we feel more and more unfulfilled and unhappy , we wake up to the need for less of it .
What can be overlooked in this agitated state of mind is that the steps we can take to lift us out of such a mentality are pretty simple and highly effective if we take them consistently . My acquaint-ance told me she thinks less of material conditions and more of spiritual matters , which keeps her busy life on a fulfilling , progressive track . People who do this momentby-moment have discovered how effective such a rule for living is and how following it faithfully changes
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their view of themselves and the conditions around them . They feel control and order being restored .
As that happens — in the workplace , at home , or running errands — priorities change , as do the deci-sions that impact daily life . People find that not only can their quality of life be higher and better , but such quality is deserved and quite natural . It feels closer to being who and what we ’ re meant to be .
That , to me , is why there ’ s appeal in clearing away distractions , making time for contemplation and prayer , living efficiently , and being productive . It ’ s actually quite natural to aim one ’ s life in this direction and live accordingly . People come to see that this is less about coping with their old life and more about reinstating their original one .
Russ and his wife moved back home to Southern California after working in Boston as the media manager for the Christian Science church . With a background in publishing , most of his time is spent writing , reading , volunteering and grandparenting .
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