Simple

I find that I am quite ridged in my thinking. At times I am completely obsessed with the way things are supposed to be. Wear the right clothes. Save the right amount of money. Buy the right house. Piece together the right kind of solid, structured American family. Don’t drink that. Don’t eat that. Go to bed early and don’t waste time.

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about living simply. About what we really NEED in order to survive and what we just kind of like to have along for the ride. I’ve been thinking about “right” and “wrong” with respect to what we should want for our lives and what we should strive for. I search for a way to break away from these very certain molds that I have built for myself. To live freely and simply, and maybe even slowly, is something that I seem to never master.

The concept sounds childish -- to live a life that is slightly lacking in boundary and that allows time for simple and free living. But in all honesty, aside from a need to learn a bit more responsibility, do children really have it so wrong? Why are we so stuffy when adulthood sets in? Is it stress that makes us this way? And if so, why do we allow ourselves to become so bogged down with things that if could be tangibly measured, would not be worth the effort?

For most, the notion that “we cant take it with us” kind of slips from our grasp as we graduate from mandatory secondary education and look at our so called options. We are told that the only way to make this life work is to go on to study at a university and then some… and though I don’t regret any of my education, I’m completely puzzled by the fact that we go into so much debt to live these lives. Is it possible to live a fulfilling life with no stress? School begat debt begat endless working… living like our neighbor begat debt begat endless working... without school, our neighbor's influence and debt, would there be less work?

Or maybe the work being done would be of the save the world sort instead of the save ourselves from drowning in debt sort...