“Simplicity! Simplicity! Simplicity!”, stated Henry David Thoreau in his essay Walden. Thoreau spent two years and two months simplifying his life in a secluded place called Walden Pond outside of Concord, Massachusetts. He lived trying to make his outer life simpler in order to make his inner life richer. This concept called voluntary simplicity is a 20th century movement inspired by Henry David Thoreau and how he lived his life. Voluntary simplicity includes five major values that need to be considered when simplifying one 's life. Material simplicity is the first value in voluntary simplicity. This means reducing material needs down to only basic necessities. Some examples of material type items are electronics, cosmetics, shoes, jewelry, and awards. Benefits of this include getting rid of extra clutter and reducing the stress of having too much “stuff” to worry about. An example of executing material simplicity successfully would be getting rid of ten of your twelve pairs of shoes that you never wear. Another example would be giving away four of your five electronic devices to people who would actually use them. Tending to only the necessities in your life will help keep the clutter out and to keep focus on more important things. The second value concerning voluntary …show more content…
Being ecologically aware means remaining constantly aware and protective of the earth’s ecology. Reducing, reusing, and recycling are key components in protecting the earth’s ecology. Using solar panels, planting trees, gardening, and cleaning up trash along a road are all example of ecological awareness. Preserving the earth is a good way to focus on doing something to help future generations and put time into something other than doing things centered on yourself. Another benefit to being ecologically aware is that you create a cleaner environment for everyone to live in which then improves the health of the people on our