“Live simply so that others may simply live.” Mahatma Gandhi, Mother Teresa.
In the world of Spiritual Formation, simplicity/frugality has been practiced as a spiritual discipline for thousands of years. Today, there is a growing movement that is not even religious in its underpinnings that goes by the name minimalism. When you listen to a minimalist talk, you hear simplicity. De-clutter, remove the non-essentials of life so that you can focus on what matters most in life is the kind of talk you would hear from a bonafide minimalist.
In the video below, Richard Foster and Dallas Willard talk about simplicity and they sound like today’s avid minimalists, just of a different generation.
Foster: “Now that’s why the discipline of simplicity for example is a great,” then he stops and rephrases. “Actually, frugality is the discipline, simplicity is the result “
Willard: “The way simplicity has been understood, right, it really is frugality, you know. And it leads to a life where you get rid of the clutter and you are able to have a unified purpose. And that means, among other things, you can throw stuff away.”
Foster: “Yeah, I remember, I think it was William Penn, used this wonderful phrase about “letting go of cumber”.
Willard: “Yes and just, I mean, think of a society where we have all these rental places where you put your junk.”
Foster: “Yeah, right, I gotta rent another storage.”
Willard: “Yeah, and you already got your garage full. And what that says about the person, though, that means that they are inwardly in bondage.”
Foster: “Yep, exactly, because simplicity is an inward reality. That is when that change comes about in the inward reality, that results in an outward lifestyle free of cumber.”
Willard: “I guess the thing you practice the most in simplicity is letting things go. It’s actually trusting God.”
When you listen to these giants of spiritual formation, you hear minimalism through and through. The only difference is, of course, that as Christians, they anchor their motivation to God and his Kingdom. On the other hand, the minimalist–who can be atheist points to the practical real-life benefits which come from minimalism.
Check out the video.
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