This is a topic that seems to be so important in this day and age. “Less is More” is a slogan that can be applied to many areas of life, and fits well when thinking about personal consumption. As we progress through our day, it is easy to lose track of how much we really consume. We consume material things, food, energy, and most importantly time. If you think about all of the things you consume from morning to night, it can become quite a list. In a lot of ways, we are consuming our lives away.
It
seems like our consumer driven society would have us
believe that we are what we own, and this is a destructive message. In a world where we are
constantly bombarded
with messages that link success to material possessions, it is no
wonder why so
many in our society are in debt and spiritually bankrupt.
Materialism is a struggle that almost all of us face to some degree. When we see our friends buying a nice car or house, it challenges us to search deep into our own sense of self. For most of us, success is measured on a relative scale; we like to know how we’re measuring up. A natural competitiveness is probably healthy, especially when we are comparing another person’s virtues to our own. It always helps to remember that God gives all of us unique talents and gifts. When those talents are used wisely, they are obvious to other people, and most importantly, they glorify God.
So
how does the “less is more” slogan help us combat
those
natural desires to compete with others in a consumer driven society? Well, it helps to
internalize the slogan as a
motto for material comparisons. If
you
look around, many people seem to be obsessed with owning material
things. They have a
nice, well furnished house, a
nice car and take nice vacations.
Many of
these same people also have a ton of debt; so much so, they are
constantly
worried about monthly payments. Image
is
very important to these people, and their priorities are out of line
with the
natural progression of life. In
short, most
of them are living a lie.
Avoiding
people that live this way is probably wise.
Jesus teaches us to run with wise men, and
although these people may be sophisticated, they are not necessarily
wise. If
materialism is a disease, one could become
infected if they are exposed to it.
“Only
a life lived for others is worth living” is one of my
favorite quotes by Albert Einstein.
It
puts the whole materialism thing is perspective and begs the question,
“How can
one live for another when he is preoccupied with his things?”
Materialism, for the
most part, is a barrier to
serving others. How
often do we see both
parents needing full time jobs to support an excessive lifestyle? Some families need both
incomes to support a
modest lifestyle, and that is certainly understandable.
The issue is really one of priorities.
The
“less is more” slogan can be applied to other areas
of
life as well. There
is well publicized obesity
epidemic in the
Clutter is another issue that this concept applies well to. Some people, especially those who grew up during the Depression, learned to save everything. Once the economy recovered though, the habit of holding onto things was so ingrained they couldn’t change. Their houses and lives became cluttered with things they no longer used. They could have more effortlessly carried a lighter load by simply purging as they went along. By the way, these are mostly good people. They simply did not understand the burden of holding on to things they no longer needed. There are so many good charities that accept used clothes, furniture and the like. It really can be a win-win to carry a lighter load.
There are so many Biblical examples of “less is more”. When sending his disciples out to evangelize and heal, Jesus told them, “Do not acquire gold, or silver, or copper for your money belts, or a bag for your journey, or even two coats, or sandals, or a staff; for the worker is worthy of his support” (Matthew 10:9-10). Jesus also taught us to store our treasure in heaven (Matthew 6:19-21).
When a person owns less, eats less and hordes less, he has freedom to do more, serve more and be more. Debt makes a person a slave to both his job and his creditor. Overeating makes a person a slave to his flesh, and he eventually becomes lazy and unhealthy. Hording possessions clutter one’s environment, making it difficult for him to have newer things and experiences. Interestingly, all of this excessive consumption also steals time, which is what life is made of.
Beyond the basic needs of life, consuming less, ironically, often provides for a better, more fulfilling life.
I read this article in Utne, and find it related well to this topic. Enjoy!