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Voluntary Simplicity, Revised Edition: Toward a Way of Life That Is Outwardly Simple, Inwardly Rich
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Voluntary Simplicity, Revised Edition: Toward a Way of Life That Is Outwardly Simple, Inwardly Rich description
Voluntary Simplicity by Duane Elgin, first published in 1981 and revised in 1993, is the sacred text for those wanting to liberate themselves from enslavement to a job and the pursuit of status symbols. Elgin's work emerges from a concern for the environmental consequences of our mass consumption lifestyles. His book exhorts us to save the planet and our souls by "living with balance in order to find a life of greater purpose." |
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Voluntary Simplicity, Revised Edition: Toward a Way of Life That Is Outwardly Simple, Inwardly Rich Customer Reviews
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Voluntary Simplicity
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| I'm a great devotee of voluntary simplicity and have read many excellent books on the subject (among my favorites are Janet Luhr's "Guide to Simple Living," Dominguez's "Your Money or Your Life," and Dyzychen's "Tightwad Gazette" collections). This is definitely the worst and least helpful of them all. Seems extremely dated (even though revised in 1998) and "70s" with rather hazy California granola/New Age overtones. The author spends a lot of time waxing poetic on the more general philosophy of the movement (with an emphasis on one motivation, while ignoring others) rather than discussing and offering practical suggestions and tips for achieving a simpler life. Excepts from those practicing the lifestyle were helpful, but the entire book seemed very heavily-handedly biased in favor of a sort of self-congratulatory socialist "sharing the wealth/taking from the rich to give to the poor" doctrine which not all who embrace VS also embrace. Personally, I don't work hard at living simply in order to give the noney I save in doing so away to those who don't work as hard as I do and thus don't have as much, and I gradually grew to resent the assumption that this is what VS is (or should be) all about. For many of us, it's more about being free (i.e., saving money so as to sustain ourselves on less) vs. feeling guilty about being born in "a land of wealth." Too 60s flower child and liberal-leaning for my taste, with not enough substance to sustain it. Possibly a good introduction to the subject and perhaps significant in its day (the early 80s), but it doesn't stand the test of time, in my opinion. There are better books on the topic out there, but at least now it's off my must-read list. |
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