Sometimes, the greatest pleasure comes from the simplest of things. Whenever I’m at theme parks, or even just a store like Target or WalMart, I enjoy looking at the stuffed animals. Yes, I even pick them up and feel how soft they are. Yes, sometimes I even play with them and make them growl or cheep. Yes, I occasionally make them talk to my wife.
Simplicity is a concept that has been around almost as long as human beings. Several decades ago, there was a commercial with the jingle, “Life’s simple pleasures are the best…” No, I’m not going to tell you what product was being advertised with that jingle. But you can still find it in the grocery stores. Several hundred years ago, there was a guy named William of Occam. He lived an interesting life, eventually being condemned by the Pope for his arguments and writings about the Church. He was tried for heresy but escaped on a horse in the night. We know his name because of ‘Occam’s Razor,’ an idea that suggests the simplest explanation for something is probably the correct explanation. (To my philosophically minded friends, yes I oversimplified Occam’s Razor). Most recently, Marie Kondo has made a fortune telling us all to simplify and get rid of our junk.
Simplicity has been a basic component of most monastic communities, no matter which religious persuasion they may be. Benedict of Nursia codified his monastic rules, which we now know as the rule of St. Benedict. Francis of Assisi had his own rules, as did many other Catholic church leaders (AKA ‘saints’). The most famous monastic community today is the Mt. Athos community in Greece. There are amazing stories about supernatural occurrences there, which basically draws more and more people to visit the monastery. I suspect that monastic tourism does not make it easy for monks to maintain their simplistic lifestyle.
Many things can distract us from the most important things in our lives. Living a more simple, scaled down life can help keep distractions out of our lives and allow us to focus on the things that mean the most to us. I know I certainly am far too distracted by unimportant stuff. Jesus told us not to store up treasures on earth, so maybe Marie Kondo is on the right track. As for me, I’m heading out to play with some stuffed animals to help me remember to simplify my life and focus on what’s really important.