Simplicity and Essentialism : the Pursuit of Less in a World of More
By Izak Smit
Years ago a young man studied law in England . Coming from a wealthy family , his future looked bright . He took the opportunity to travel the world … and that changed everything . He saw oppression and found a higher purpose : the liberation of the oppressed . With this singular purpose , he eliminated clutter from his life . He dressed in homespun cloth . He spent years not reading the news as he found it introduced non-essential confusion . He simplified his diet . And when he died , he owned less than ten things .
His name was Mohandas Gandhi . He became an example of someone who eschewed consumerism and lived a life of utmost simplicity and essentialism , devoted to a cause . And causes do not come much bigger than the one he pursued – he helped the people of India gain independence , becoming the “ Father of the Nation ”. On his passing , General George Marshall , the then US Secretary of State , said : “ Mahatma Gandhi made humility and simple truth more powerful than empires .” Albert Einstein added : “ Generations to come will scarce believe that such a one ever in flesh and blood walked upon this earth .”
History provides us with extreme examples of essentialism , the stripping of clutter . It has deep roots in many religions . Gautama Buddha left his life as a prince to seek the ascetic life . Moses also left the life of a prince in Egypt to go into the wilderness as a shepherd . John the Baptist lived in the desert wearing camel hair clothes and living off the land . Jesus was a carpenter and ministered without material possessions . The Prophet Muhammad mended his own shoes and milked his own goats .
We can also see the philosophy of “ less is better ” at play in the lives of many other notable and diverse figures : Warren Buffet , Steve Jobs , Anton Rupert , Nelson Mandela , Mother Teresa , Jan Smuts . People who have lived simple , unmaterial and happy lives are among the most successful in every profession or human endeavour . We do not need to copy the extreme examples , but we can probably all do with a healthy dose of editing and purging some non-essential clutter from our lives , living more frugally , yet living with greater meaning , purpose and happiness .
The COVID-19 pandemic has forced many of us to appreciate simple things more , because we were unable to travel for work or pleasure . Our choices were limited . We had to pay attention and interact with life in a different way , using our senses , enjoying bits of beauty and little treasures that are offered to us in abundance every day . Our busy lives have made us become unconscious of these gifts . It was Socrates who said : “ Beware the barrenness of a busy life .” Or : take time to smell the roses . If we are too busy , we will not see as much of the beauty that we are walking through : the smell of coffee , a beautiful sunrise or sunset , warm sunrays on the skin , children ’ s laughter in a ( locked-down ) house , the sound of birdsong , or just … silence . The list is virtually endless .
In this article I ’ ll focus on two elements : firstly , material things . And something even more precious , especially for professionals : time .
For much of human history , it was a struggle to meet our basic needs - that bottom layer in Maslow ’ s pyramid . Between the time homo sapiens left our African cradle about 70 000 years ago , until the dawn of the industrial era in the late 18th century , the vast majority of humans lived in extreme poverty . And then it changed . In
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