Simplicity 102: Places
In Simplicity 101, a basic formula was introduced:
Simplicity x Noun Count = 1000
Our level of Simplicity times our Noun Count always equals exactly
One Thousand. To increase simplicity, we lower noun count. One
of the three major forms of nouns that can be lowered is places;
the other two are persons and things. Places, which we own, rent,
or visit, can clutter our lives and make them more complicated
than they would otherwise be. By definition, getting from place
to place involves travel that requires time, energy and at least
a little money. So the travel associated with places is a complexity
booster, too. Places and travel go hand in hand.
We own, rent, or visit places other than home for at least three legitimate reasons. One is to enrich our lives. "I am going to Timbuktu to see what it is like." The validity of going to other places for this reason is slowly declining as they become more like home each year. Americana is increasingly global. In addition we can "visit" almost anywhere these days without leaving our starting point. Media resources about other places are plentiful. In a number of respects (not all) such secondary resources are superior to the on-site experience. For rural folks, going to Timbuktu has one other drawback besides the added complexity of the round trip. We might miss something Here while we are There! Henry David Thoreau put the matter in perspective in 1856:
"When it is proposed to me to go abroad, rub off some rust, and better my condition in a worldly sense, I fear less my life will lose some of its homeliness. If these fields and streams and woods, the phenomena of nature here, and the simple occupations of the inhabitants should cease to interest and inspire me, no culture or wealth would atone for the loss. I fear the dissipation that traveling, going into society-even the best, the enjoyment of the intellectual luxuries, imply."
A second reason we own, rent, or visit other places is that doing so elevates us in the consumption hierarchy. We go to demonstrate to others we have the resources to do so. These days travel has a great deal more panache than, say, cruising around town in a grand car. Consumption is the religion of our times, and admonitions to join in are preached every moment of every day from the pulpits of television, the internet, radio, newspapers, magazines, and billboards. The message is insidious and the clergy is a vast army of spokespersons for businesses and government. We are their "consumers," not their congregations. Saving is not on the agenda. The continuing sermon is to buy or do something-anything! To not partake at some level is un-religious. When we go some place, Paris or Phoenix, we chant the mantra as instructed and assert that we deserve seats in the forward pews. So we sometimes end up traveling to some place in response; we unconsciously travel for travel's sake. And as we do, we inch along the path pointing toward existence as human doings. This path runs uphill and the increasing weight we feel is complexity tugging on us, gravity.
The third common reason we go to other places is to visit people. We will explore the simplification subject of reducing our noun count of people at another time.
In summary, places are one of the three major forms of nouns. The more nouns we have in our lives, the more responsibilities we have. The more responsibilities we have, the more complex our lives. To increase our level of simplicity, we reduce our noun count. There is no better way.
A final thought. Simplifying
life does not automatically equate to becoming a hermit, reclusive
and withdrawn from society. Many of us have at least one other
place in the world besides home that is important to us. Properly
done, travel to another place can be a catalyst for continuing
discovery. As T.S. Eliot put it:
"We shall not cease from exploration. And the end of all
our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the
place for the first time."
Our challenge is to balance the call to simplify against our urge to go. Perspective and discipline are required to keep places in their place.
Copyright © 1999, 2003 by Steven C. Brandt
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