I consciously started to live simply when I started to become conscious. Duane Elgin More Quotes by Duane Elgin More Quotes From Duane Elgin The character of a whole society is the cumulative result of countless small actions, day in and day out, of millions of persons. Duane Elgin results action character I feel more voluntary about my pleasures and pains than the average American who has his needs dictated by Madison Avenue (my projections, of course). I feel sustained, excited, and constantly growing in my spiritual and intellectual pursuits. Duane Elgin pain spiritual average To consciously evolve, we require clear vision of a compassionate future that draws out our enthusiastic participation in life. Duane Elgin enthusiastic vision compassionate An elegant simplicity is an understated, organic aesthetic that contrasts with the excess of consumerist lifestyles. Drawing from influences ranging from Zen to the Quakers, it celebrates natural materials and clean, functional expressions, such as are found in many of the hand-made arts and crafts from this community. Duane Elgin expression hands art As my spiritual growth expanded and developed, voluntary simplicity was a natural outgrowth. I came to realize the cost of material accumulation was too high and offered fewer and fewer real rewards, psychological and spiritual. Duane Elgin real simple spiritual It seems to me that inner growth is the whole moving force behind voluntary simplicity. Duane Elgin simplicity simple moving To me, voluntary simplicity means integration and awareness in my life. Duane Elgin simplicity simple mean David Shi (historian of the simple life) describes the common denominator among the various approaches to simpler living as the understanding that the making of money and the accumulation of things should not smother the purity of the soul, the life of the mind, the cohesion of the family, or the good of the society. Duane Elgin understanding soul simple When a person's primary objective is to maximize material pleasures while minimizing discomforts, then life becomes a constant process of "pushing" (trying to push away from discomforts) and "grabbing" (trying to acquire or hold on to that which gives pleasure). With the loss of inner balance that accompanies a habitual "pushing and grabbing" approach to life, a deeper pain ensues-that of becoming aware of the ultimate unsatisfactoriness of the pleasure-seeking/pain-avoiding process itself. Duane Elgin pleasure-seeking pain loss
