Simple Living

Simple living (also referred to as “voluntary simplicity”) is a lifestyle that abhors materialistic tendencies and the pursuit of wealth and luxurious consumption. It primarily minimizes the notion that “more is better” for possessions. This is distinguishable from poverty, as simple living is a voluntary lifestyle choice. It is also different from asceticism, which also generally promotes living simply and refraining from luxury and indulgence, yet not all proponents of voluntary simplicity are ascetics.

Such lifestyle choices have traditions that stretch back to Asia, preached by leaders such as Buddha, Lao-Tse, and Confucius, and were also heavily stressed in both Greco-Roman culture and Judeo-Christian ethics. Epicureanism, based on Athens philosopher Epicurus, which flourished from the 4th century B.C.E. to the third century C.E., was based on ...