The Simplicity Connection

beginning The market for self-improvement books may never be boring, but it is often littered with false hope. A better sex life? Lose weight in ten days by eating only Twinkies? Make more money than you’ve ever dreamed of from the comfort of your couch? These are promises left unfulfilled because they do not address the core of the problems they try to solve: our society is destructively complex and dependent on consumerism. We are a country that brought its own symbol of freedom to the brink of extinction. In our “always on the cell phone,” “$4 per gallon of gasoline,” and “gimme more, gimme more” culture, there are, however, some rays of hope. Organic food and hybrid car sales continue to grow each year. The do-it-yourself revolution has become a hands-on way of life for gardeners, builders, and others who create. More people than ever before are saying enough is enough. We can simplify our lives on a local level and on a daily basis. Fixing the problems of tomorrow (and yesterday) starts today. We have the ability to revitalize our health by saving our environment—cleaning the air and water, stabilizing the climate, refocusing our consumption with a plan for achieving sustainability. Finding out how to maintain our lives and relate to others are the first steps in making ourselves self-sufficient and peaceful. But we still have a very long way to go. What if, on the basis of one belief, we could start to rectify the larger problems of society? Solve global warming? Childhood obesity? The oil crisis? Chemical and environmentally induced sensitivities and diseases? Famine, drought, and poverty? What if one concept could teach us how to gain more time, more energy, more money, more happiness, and better health? Sounds too good to be true? Simplicity is that cure-all, and The Simplicity Connection teaches us how to get back on a path of physical, emotional and mental well-being. This practical and comprehensive guide will help us rethink how we treat our bodies, our spirits, and our environment. It will show how even our smallest actions can lead to a simpler, better life. What does clean air have to do with simplicity? What does driving your car to the mall have to do with rainforest destruction? What does your dinner choice have to do with the health of your neighbors? What does overpopulation have to do with social pathology? Everything. For starters, we must realize that everything is connected. When we understand this simple and basic truth, we can begin to solve the problems and focus on keeping our lives healthy. The Simplicity Connection will also explain why we need simplicity in our lives and how we can overcome the perceived negatives of a simpler life: • What will it take to fully realize how all our actions are interrelated and that every choice we make has an impact on our lives and on the planet itself? • How can we begin to make ecologically informed choices in the thousands of decisions we need to make every day? • How do we eliminate the complexities of life but maintain the comfort and convenience that our throwaway culture has given us? • Can reducing scale and minimizing time demands fulfill the desires consumerism has created? • What is the true answer to that age-old question, what do we want from life? Simplicity is not necessarily about giving up your job, your home, or your possessions. On the contrary, in many instances, we need to stay where we are. What we need to do is to take a closer look at our lifestyles, our livelihoods, our activities, and see how we can make them simpler for ourselves and the planet. The Simplicity Connection will provide the information to show us how and where we can cut back, how we can change our actions. The purpose of The Simplicity Connection is to present the problems, then provide solutions—“Okay,” you say, “so what do you want me to do about it?” The answer? Think about what you did today. Almost anything you do can be reorganized, simplified, or made more ecologically sustainable. When we become more conscious of these connections, then we can learn to minimize their impact. The Simplicity Connection is a comprehensive guide to creating a simpler life. It teaches us how to organize and simplify our time and finances so that we become free from the burden of not knowing what is enough and discover what we truly love to do. Too often, we focus only on materialistic personal goals—what kind of job we want, what kind of mate we’re looking for, how many toys can we collect before we die. Our schedules are crammed full, our creditors keep calling, and our bodies are exhausted. What will it take for us to realize that we cannot find inner peace through trinkets and awards? It’s deciding what is truly important in our lives that will help us find peace. We live in—and, some say, worship—a culture that exhausts itself. Production to support our materialistic society depletes our environment. We need to regain control of ourselves and our habits. We need to see the connections between our selfish actions and their results, which affect us both physically and emotionally. Simplicity cannot be just about decluttering our lives. It must include minimizing our impact upon our surroundings. Next we’ll begin to apply sustainable solutions. The Simplicity Connection analyzes the problems associated with apathy and provides effective solutions for the individual, on the local level; small steps that can lead to community then global change. When we realize that everything is connected and every action has a greater consequence, we begin to see how changing the world can be accomplished through the daily actions of people like us. An ecological overview shows the environmental problems that mankind has created and gives solutions that can lead to recovery. The path to simplicity should incorporate all aspects of our existence: body, mind, soul, and environment. We must question our modern so-called conveniences. We must learn about simpler and safer alternatives in regard to: • What we consume: Shopping: how we shop and why we can’t stop. Eating: becoming more conscious of what and how we eat. • Transportation: changing the way we get there. • Working: finding out what we truly love and doing it. • Healing: strengthening the connection between mental and physical health and reducing our dependence on mainstream Western medicine. • How we aesthetically enhance our lives: Beautifying: improving our appearance without endangering our health. Cleaning: seeing the dangers of common products and finding safer choices. Housing and decorating: knowing how our physical environment directly affects our physical and mental health. • Disposing: reducing waste and taking care of what we have created. To live a simpler, saner life, we must consider not only the traditional issues of simplicity (minimalism, less consumption, less clutter) but also issues of sustainability, spirituality, creativity, environmentalism, frugality, organic living, conscious decision making, and common courtesy. The Simplicity Connection is about finding connections to simplicity in our daily lives and making simple changes. It can become a keystone to your life. As you read this book, you will find relationships you never expected and form a new plan for living. Balance the elements of sustainability and simplification and you will find the road to serenity. Welcome to The Simplicity Connection.