Over the last six months or so I have neither watched TV nor owned a cellphone. Both of these things I am in no hurry to change. Historically, I have always been a gadget geek - keen to adopt bleeding-edge technologies and to fill my life with all manner of extraneous technological complexity. But lately I have realised that this is simply not good for my mental health since it contributes to the feeling of cognitive overload that I apparently share with many other people. I have decided that the time has come to embrace simplicity.
I've always been a fan of simplicity in my work - I try to design websites which are functional, attractive, yet as simple as possible (but no simpler, to quote Einstein) - but I have found that I am increasingly drawn to the idea of 'voluntary simplicity' in my lifestyle. This has two major advantages - firstly it removes the extraneous clutter from my life so that I can see the bigger picture and appreciate what is important, and secondly it means that I am consuming fewer resources and hopefully leaving a lighter footprint on the earth, which is becoming increasingly critical to me as I try to become more ecologically and environmentally aware.
For several years I have felt a nagging worry about the fact that the world is, environmentally speaking, in very poor shape - with massive human overpopulation and overconsumption making things rapidly worse, but I haven't really modified my lifestyle in any significant way. Moving to Canada has, almost accidentally, caused several changes for the better. First of all, when you spend several thousand pounds shipping all of your crap to another country, you start to question whether you *really* need all the stuff you have and whether you wouldn't be happier without much of it. To this end I'm trying to compile a list of the things I really need and to eliminate anything not on that list (like, say, ten boxes of paperback books I'll never read).
I've never really been into the accumulation of lots of stuff (despite buying lots of gadgets I couldn't afford in my twenties), probably because as a kid I moved around a LOT and travelling light was imperative. This culminated last year when I worked for a company selling lots of 'fun' gadgets, gizmos etc. At first I was very excited about the job, but gradually became quite depressed at the realisation that 90% of what we sold was plastic crap which would end up in a landfill within 6 months, there to languish for the next billion years. So that cured me of wanting stuff I don't need.
The next important step in simplifying my life was the - quite accidental - removal of TV watching from my life. Having not seen any TV for six months (apart from Six Feet Under and other shows on DVD) I can safely say that I never want to watch TV broadcasting again. I saw an hour or so over Christmas and found it almost unbearable - it all just seemed so utterly fake and transparent and plastic and repellent, with commercial breaks every seven (!) minutes. In fact, I've become a radically anti-TV bore and get most irritated when, for example, bars are filled with TV sets showing sports, or whatever. Even if the sound is down, my eye is irresistably drawn to the screen, no matter how uninterested I am in the content (usually hockey in bars) - the flashing of the numerous edits is enough to draw my eye and then blank out my brain. So, no more TV for me!
And then, I haven't had a cellphone for six months, either. This is probably almost unbelievable for, say, your typical Brit - the UK seems to have nearly 100% cellphone ('mobile') ownership. I expect I will crumble and get one again if and when we return to the UK, but for now I much prefer not being available 24/7.
No PDA, either. My Moleskine notebooks rock. No batteries required and beautifully tactile. I've rediscovered the joy of writing with a pen, and may even learn to draw!
I don't know if people who work on computers day-in day-out are more likely to suffer from technological burnout, but there seem to be an awful lot of people unplugging and embracing simplicity - there is even a 'voluntary simplicity' movement, and of course a whole bunch of books, such as Radical Simplicity by Jim Merkel, which is the unofficial bible of the movement. Of course, this is not a new idea, rather one that has been preached for thousands of years by many traditions, a fact pointed out at the start of the essay The Garden of Simplicity by Duane Elgin. However, it seems extremely apparent that this is a path that as many of us should take as possible, since the planet simply cannot cope with the demands we are placing upon it. (If everyone in the world consumed at the level of an average American or Canadian, we would need another FOUR planets like earth to satisfy their demands. And they still wouldn't be happy.)
I've only just started to take seriously the idea of simple living, but each time I am confronted with 150 different types of toothbrush to choose from in the drugstore it seems abundantly clear that something in western culture has gone badly wrong. We clearly need to reconnect with the earth, reassess our priorities and rediscover what is really important to us. As old Lao Tzu said:
""He who knows he has enough is rich"
Broadcasting? Pftch! Everyone knows that TV is for playing Halo on.
I have a wind-up gramophone and lots of Italian opera on shellac if you're interested. Better than those pesky iPods...
Posted by: Chris | January 06, 2005 at 07:00 PM
Its great to hear people deciding to make a lighter impact on the earth, and attempting to decrease the consumerist foot print. The question is how does one ellucidate and educate those who do not care that this is the correct path.. Having spent many enjoyable hours in coffee shops in Cam with you i know your a mad hippy geek, but what about the others? The Others I tell you! Oh, my head, I'm going to have to lie down and listen to my Deepak Chopra on My iPod with my massage chair to just to escape this consumerist hell....
Posted by: Benjamin Southworth | January 11, 2005 at 02:51 PM
Rik,
Hey, I hear ya about the telly stuff. I don't own one either. It's been over two years for me. The only time I've been bombarded by TV is at the laundromat or at my girlfriend's place, if she insists on watching something like Ellen or, God forbid, The Apprentice!
I can't possibly do without my cellphone, though, as it's been my only phone (no land line for me) for about three years now. And my little Sony Clié/Palm device has become a nifty little gadget that keeps me organized. More than I can say for my iPod.
There's much more to say, but I'll save it for a private email. It's been a while. Glad to see you're settling in to your new job. Dying to hear the good news. I've got some good news of my own....
Roger
Posted by: wordfreak | January 12, 2005 at 07:49 AM
well, one of the 150 toothbrushes does reduce the footprint to some extent.. i recently discovered the recycline toothbrush and disposable razors. you mail them back when you're done and they turn them into park benches.
(the girl who found you via flickr)
p.s. you goin' to mutek?
Posted by: xaotica | February 03, 2005 at 12:49 AM