“David Shi (historian of the simple life) describes the common denominator among the various approaches to simpler living as the understanding that the making of money and the accumulation of things should not smother the purity of the soul, the life of the mind, the cohesion of the family, or the good of the society.” ShouldMindSoulUnderstandingSimpleCommonApproachVariousPurityHistorianAccumulationSimple LifeCommon DenominatorCohesion Author:Duane Elgin
“Simplicity of living, if deliberately chosen, implies a compassionate approach to life. It means that we are choosing to live our daily lives with some degree of conscious appreciation of the condition of the rest of the world.” IfsWorldMeanConditionsDegreesApproachConsciousSimplicityAppreciationChosenDaily LifeCompassionateSimple LivingChoosing To Live Author:Duane Elgin
“When a person's primary objective is to maximize material pleasures while minimizing discomforts, then life becomes a constant process of "pushing" (trying to push away from discomforts) and "grabbing" (trying to acquire or hold on to that which gives pleasure). With the loss of inner balance that accompanies a habitual "pushing and grabbing" approach to life, a deeper pain ensues-that of becoming aware of the ultimate unsatisfactoriness of the pleasure-seeking/pain-avoiding process itself.” GivingTryingPersonsPainProcessLossPleasureMaterialsBecomingBalanceApproachUltimateConstantSeekingDeeperObjectivesPrimariesAcquirePushingMaterialismAvoidingDiscomfortAccompanyHabitualGrabbingMinimizingPleasure Seeking Author:Duane Elgin
