Good stuff in here!
Interesting that some here extend this simplicity to not drinking etc. Well, I do drink, smoke (will quit soon, you'll see), take the occasional drug (nothing hard, just pot and such), and I actually think that eating out brings a lot of simplicity into my life. It's more expensive, but then again I live right downtown in a city with so many great restaurants... All right, it's a vice. But you guys should try the grilled eggplant sandwich at Herbivore on Valencia Street.
Which leads me to...
Originally Posted by Roody
Who are your philosophers of simplicity? I like Buddha because he teaches not to get attached to things. I also like Thoreau because he simplified to the core and because he knew how to live outdoors.
Oh, Thoreau is a good one. To me it's Epicurus. What the current world understands as Epicureanism is not what the man had in mind. He did say that we should indulge in pleasures, but he also said that these pleasures should be simple, and that one should never indulge in anything excessively. Epicurus' school had the motto 'lathe biosas', which means, 'live hidden' or 'live simply' depending on the translator. It basically means to live a simple life, surrounded by friends, eschew the limelight and politics. Live a simple life, eat well, drink well, laugh well, love well, never stop learning and philosophizing...
Originally Posted by davidmcowan
You should really take a look at this site (
www.simpleliving.net) go in the forums section that have advice and encouragement (much like here) around all of the different angles of simple living. This site and there are the two that keep me truckin' in a low paying job and living a "rich" lifestyle.
Great tip! I never thought about looking for an online forum about this
Originally Posted by worker4youth
The only thing I have a lot of is bikes: 3 of them -- 1 fixed, 1 road, and 1 mountain. I suppose I don't NEED all 3, but they're nice to have. iBarna, do you have just one bike?
Yeah, only one,
this one, a nice vintage Bottecchia. Though I soon will start working on a second, more comfortable cyclocross. Two bikes is a luxury I will afford, because I bike everywhere, and it will be nice to have a back-up. -- I actually thought about building TWO identical bikes to keep repairs simple (both bikes would correspond to the same standards, etc.) How cool would it look to have two absolutely identical, sleek black bikes hanging on your wall, in an otherwise uncluttered room?
Originally Posted by Brad M
Being TV-free is one of the best things you can do for yourself. It's not quite so bad if you're also addicted to the Internet. You still have a source for news and _interactive_ entertainment.
Very true. The best thing that happened me in a long time was to give up TV. Now, when I watch it (at a friend's house, say), I can't believe how stupid it is and how many hours I wasted in front of it. I guess the TiVo-type stuff makes it more bearable, but still...