Welcome back Viphilus*
Simplicity is the supreme
excellence. It is a spiritual discipline. So why then do people think they can only learn this from a “business book?"
OK, got a wee bit ahead of
myself … I’ll come back to that thought.
At its root, simplicity is
about keeping life free of obligations and things which draw you off your proper life-path … the purpose and
simple single-minded thing which is what you are supposed to do.
In the 1960s, a TV show took
America by storm as it sought to capture the conflict between our shallow
desires for the complex trappings of modern life and our deep desire for the
simple life: “Green Acres.” But this wasn’t the first time that man had
acknowledged the need to pursue simplicity. Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862)
made the now-famous statement, “Our life is frittered away by detail …
Simplify! simplify! simplify!” … Simplicity of life and elevation of purpose.”
At a young age Thoreau demonstrated wisdom beyond his age when he wrote, Walden, a reflection upon simple living
in natural surroundings. He was also quoted to say, “as you simplify your life,
the laws of the universe will be simpler; solitude will not be solitude,
poverty will not be poverty, nor weakness weakness.”
Let me bathe you in even more
quotes because this theme has captured our hearts since the beginning of time.
“I believe that a simple and unassuming manner
of life is best for everyone, best both for the body and the mind.” – Albert
Einstein
“The ordinary arts we
practice every day at home are more important to the soul than their simplicity
might suggest.” – Thomas More
“Simplicity, clarity,
singleness: these are the attributes that give our lives power and vividness
and joy.” – Richard Halloway
“The ability to
simplify means to eliminate the unnecessary so that the necessary may speak.” –
Hans Hoffman
“Perfection is achieved, not when there is
nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.” – Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
The training that I provide
for transformational living is built on the premise that you need to move in
the direction of simplicity. But to do so ironically involves the complex
process of adding new burdens of structured time and structured effort in order
to figure out what you ARE doing, what you need to STOP doing, and what you
need to START doing, in order to develop a simple life.
But … why the NEED for simplicity?
Our lives are complex and
fraught with trouble because we make them that way. We load ourselves down with
too many obligations, too many responsibilities, too many things, too much
stuff, too many #1 priorities … and like the juggler who frantically tries
juggling more than he can juggle, many/all things get dropped when we exceed
our capacity.
Warning – Christian stuff ahead, but it’s worth
hanging in there if this kind of spirituality isn’t your cup of tea … I
promise. You’ll get my point in a few paragraphs.
Christian teachers (the real
gurus), have been trying to teach us this for centuries. Richard Foster has a
sobering rant in his 1978, Celebration of Discipline: “We crave things we
neither need nor enjoy. We buy things we do not want to impress people we do
not like. Where planned obsolescence leaves off, psychological obsolescence
takes over. We are made to feel ashamed to wear clothes or drive cars until
they are worn out. The mass media have convinced us that to be out of step with
fashion is to be out of step with reality … until we see how unbalanced our culture
has become at this point we will not be able to deal with the mammon (materialistic)
spirit within ourselves nor will we desire Christian simplicity.” In Freedom of Simplicity, Foster indicts, "Stop
trying to impress people with your clothes and impress them with your
life."
Jesus tells us in Matthew
6:24 and 6:33 that we need to keep things simple and figure out which master
we’re going to serve, because trying to serve more than one just doesn’t work.
Jesus suggests a simple approach which brings all things in line for us: “But
seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be
given to you as well.” (Matt.6:33) Wise
man, that Jesus! Let’s put that quote in
a box to draw attention to it.
What’s He saying? When you
read the surrounding text for the fuller context, it’s clear; when we simplify
our life, the things and events of life become richer, because we have the
freedom of time and mind to enjoy them. And when we make Christ the centre of
our life and pursue Him with a singleness of mind and heart, the distinction
between URGENT and IMPORTANT stand out (I discussed these in my blog last March 9 and March 16).
Foster cautions us to not be
deceived into thinking we can possess the inward reality of simplicity without
its having a profound effect on how we live; and to attempt to arrange an
outward life-style of simplicity without the inward reality leads to deadly
legalism. Kierkegaard’s book title, “Purity of Heart Is to Will One Thing,”
captures the essence of purpose-based living … with that singleness of mind
being holiness: pursuit of a relationship with God through Christ.
To be holy is to be sacred,
which is to be sanctified. Something that (or someone who) is sanctified is a
thing or person devoted exclusively to the use and purpose of God. This means
to have a single purpose. Foster correctly states (hard to believe he wrote
this in 1978) that the lack of a single focus around which life is aligned for
modern man leaves him fractured and fragmented, “trapped in a maze of competing
attachments.” Jesus’ admonition to His followers gives them both the strategy
and the tactics … seek God first and the rest will sort itself out. This sounds
like the modern business strategy of focusing on outputs (the things we CAN do
and control) and hope for the appropriate outcomes (the intended impacts of the
chain of outputs). Can it really be this simple? Get your relationship with God
sorted out first and then your relationship with everything else in your life
will find its proper place? Really? Yes – Scripture is unwavering in this
message.
The Apostle Paul cautions us
to not get involved in things which draw us off this focus because they
distract us and weigh us down with emotional burdens. He gives an extreme
example, but it makes the point; he recommends that people don’t get married,
but rather, remain single, so that they can use their time fully in the service
of God, rather than losing much of that
time and energy to domestic affairs. But he is also realistic … he says that if
that cannot be done because of an uncontrollable libido, well then, go ahead
and get married. (1 Cor.7:1-7) His
point? Focusing on one thing is simpler … and simpler is best.
Not a Christian but still hanging in there? Good … I’m about to connect the dots for you.
All of this makes it clear that a complex life is one which can draw us away from God and threatens our eternal security. But within this life, complexity heaps more stress on us than we can handle, and anxiety is the result. Chronic anxiety is the emotional result of a misdirected spiritual life. Return now to the Matthew 6 passage, but read it in its entirety: Matthew 6:24-34. Simplicity is the result of a life focused on putting the first thing first: God and His righteousness. Everything else will fall in its proper place and perspective.
And now let me connect the dots!
CEO Magazine named StephenCovey’s book, “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People,” as the most
influential business book of the 20th century!
OK, soak that in.
the most influential business
book of the 20th century!
Why? Because it brought
together in one book the key principles and practices for making life work. I
understand why business people have glommed onto this book as a business book …
but IT IS NOT A BUSINESS BOOK … IT IS A BOOK ABOUT EFFECTIVE LIVING. (sorry for
yelling – but it makes me crazy when people short-sightedly see the business
context only).
What I like best is Covey’s
personal note immediately following the final page of the final chapter … his
note about where he got his 7 principles from. He got them from the Bible,
although he doesn’t connect chapter and verse to his 7 Habits (I will actually
do this in February and March … hope you’ll join me for that ride).
Covey’s HABIT # 3 is about “Putting
First Things First,” (in order for other things to sort themselves out in your
life). Sounds familiar? It should … you just read above where Covey got that “habit”
from: Matthew 6:33.
Simplify!
Before I leave you for this
week, let me offer one helpful reflection (note: for my clients I suggest a variety
of reflections and rituals, but I gotta keep this blog short).
REFLECTION on
SIMPLICITY
Buck Rogers, the IBM executive who took the company’s growth from $250 million to $50 billion describes the secret of their success quite simply; “we’ve just learned how to do the simple things well.” Ponder what this would mean in your life. What are the simple things that you should learn how to do well?
Buck Rogers, the IBM executive who took the company’s growth from $250 million to $50 billion describes the secret of their success quite simply; “we’ve just learned how to do the simple things well.” Ponder what this would mean in your life. What are the simple things that you should learn how to do well?
I hope to see you back next
Monday when we close out this month by looking at a fresh mental start.
Blessings Viphilus,
Your friend, Omega Man
* Viphilus means, "lover of life"
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