Our society often swings between the cartoonish extremes of dualism: if it's not white, then it must be black. A quick survey of contemporary political discussion should be enough to convince anyone that the middle ground is almost unrepresented. Rarely is the 'best' solution found at an extreme. Although extremes can be helpful in debate and discussion, we generally find that life is best when we live somewhere in between.
Following is a delightful essay by the Rev. Dr. Adela Torchia that was shared with our Creation Matters1 group on a moderate approach to consumerism that may be a more sustainable option for those of us who are not quite ready to join John the Baptist in the desert.
Elegant Frugality
by the Rev. Dr. Adela TorchiaThe thrill of the chase – someone tells you about a great‐sounding book and you immediately look online in your public library system, and put it on hold (stranglehold) to be delivered to your nearest branch with an email telling you when it’s arrived. Turning the pages, you decide if it’s a keeper, and if so you shop online for a used copy. Aha! – there it is for one cent, plus $6.49 for shipping! Another successful hunt concludes, with the prize on its way to your mailbox.
Or there’s that $5 item of delightful thrift‐shop clothing or housewares when a little ‘retail therapy’ helps distract from the proverbial ‘things I cannot change’. With your ‘new’ sweater or coffee mugs, life seems a little brighter and your wallet’s hardly depleted in the process. Refreshed you read news online or free Guardian articles on Facebook and increase your awareness or deepen your understanding of various matters; and if certain world situations need financial support, you’re better able to help, thanks to the money you saved on the book and sweater and coffee mugs. Or your creativity can flourish since you can work less for pay, thanks to the liberating ethos of Elegant Frugality.
Yes it’s similar to ecology’s more‐with‐less philosophy – an extrapolation of the ‘more’. Most world religions have historically cautioned that materialism was a danger to the life of the Spirit, often leading to great contests of brutal asceticism to prove one’s ‘mettle’ in extremes of self‐denial. Too many centuries of hair‐shirt bravado cast a pall on frugality as life‐denying rather than life‐affirming, or as something one practiced from necessity and not by choice. Thrift Shop Chic is not for everyone, although I was delighted to see the popularity of ‘charity shops’ in England in 2013, and how bragging about how little one had paid was an honourable practice.
The Creation Matters diocesan environmental group sees Elegant Frugality as an ethos whose time has come – an invitation to rejoice in God’s abundance meant for all, and to find new ways to be compassionate and creative as a result. And oh, the fun we can have in the process!
1The team in the Anglican Diocese of British Columbia charged with advocating for things environmental.
On rereading Adela's essay, I'm thinking of "more needs less" rather than "more with less" - a more spiritually centered life needs less things around them, indeed the things become bothersome clutter.
ReplyDeleteAlso echoing in my mind is the Gospel phrase from Matthew 6:33 'seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you'. "Things added" can slide into a trap: our material-things culture, are 'things added' are a nice expensive car/house/boat/electronics/travel/whatever as promised by some prosperity gospels? or, as I understand, sufficient shelter/transportation/food to continue physical life in support of the fruits of spirituality?
Oscar Wilde wrote 'I can resist anything except temptation'. That's not completely true for any of us, but it certainly true at times for me, and maybe thee, too! For my personality type, it's easier to proceed in the positive (more spiritual focus leads to less material focus) than the negative (less material focus clears the way for a more spiritual focus). Each of us uses both approaches in our personal system, but for me it's easier starting with the positive.
Yes I think the early desert fathers and mothers in Christianity would agree with you, Wally, that the focus should be on the more, especially more of a connection with God. And that whatever stands in the way is just so much clutter. Nonetheless 'decluttering' has gained substantial value and merit in our overall consumeristic kind of culture; so one hopes that the attraction of less material baggage makes room for an appreciation of all that is not overtly material, including the spiritual. And that the attraction of unburdening oneself from excessive materialism opens an important avenue to living in a more ecologically responsible and celebratory way.
DeleteWhat are the spiritual and ethical values that we apply in our analysis of the possible improvements in our human care for creation? Without thought to the values of analysis, the tendency will be to go with solutions that are personally comfortable, so for high wealth technology sophisticated people a comfortable solution is solar heating/Tesla cars/organic foods/carbon offsets, for example. This tends to ego fights - my truth over your 'truth'.
ReplyDeleteWith all due respect to the important scientific component of environmental concern and action, there is a decided recognition in various quarters that human ATTITUDE is the most essential thing that needs correction if the earth is to survive human greed and indifference to the suffering caused by voracious materialism - 20% of the world's population using 86% of the world's resources, last I heard. But that's a very good point you raise -- that it takes money to partake of the most effective forms of environmental lifestyle alternatives. Example: having just moved to an old mobile home that has been heated with oil for 40 years, I am navigating the often pricey waters of trying to get a heat pump. Luckily there are cheaper ductless versions (c. $4000 although the heat won't fully get down the hall to the bedrooms and bathroom), and I was excited to learn about City Green, a "non-profit" group offering subsidies for oil-to-heatpump-conversion. However, to qualify, one must get an energy evaluation from them, costing $395 and if a subsidy is granted one must pay $200 for a followup inspection! Tends to once again put such environmental options out of the reach of many. And try buying a used electric car -- might well need a new $5000 battery by the time the used-car buyer gets behind the wheel.
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