The character of a whole society is the cumulative result of the countless small actions, day in and day out, of millions of persons. Who we are as a society, is the synergistic accumulation of who we are as individuals... Small changes that seem insignificant in isolation can be great contributions when they are simultaneously undertaken by many others.

Duane Elgin

Categorized in : Character Environmental Small Changes

Compassion will no longer be seen as a spiritual luxury for a contemplative few; rather it will be viewed as a social necessity for the entire human family.

Duane Elgin

luxury compassion spiritual

We live almost completely immersed in a socially constructed reality that so fully absorbs our energy and attention that virtually none remains to experience the wonder of our existence.

Duane Elgin

energy attention reality

Simplicity of living means meeting life face to face. It means confronting life clearly, without unnecessary distractions. It means being direct and honest in relationships of all kinds. It means taking life as it is.

Duane Elgin

simplicity faces mean

Living simply is not about living in poverty or self-inflicted deprivation. It's about living an examined life where one has determined what is truly important and enough … and then just let go of all the rest.

Duane Elgin

important self letting-go

The essence of voluntary simplicity is living in a way what is outwardly simple and inwardly rich.

Duane Elgin

simplicity essence simple

To live more simply is to unburden our lives - to live more lightly, cleanly, aerodynamically. It is to establish a more direct, unpretentious and unencumbered relationship with all aspects of our lives: the things that we consume, the work that we do, our relationships with others, our connections with nature and the cosmos, and more.

Duane Elgin

cosmos connections life

Simplicity means to choose ways of living that touch the Earth more lightly and that reduce our ecological footprint.

Duane Elgin

simplicity mean way

In a world where nearly one billion people live near the edge of physical survival the relevance of intentional simplicity by the more affluent people of the world cannot be over estimated.

Duane Elgin

simplicity simple people

Poverty is mean and degrading to the human spirit, whereas a life of conscious simplicity can have both a beauty and a functional integrity that elevates the human spirit.

Duane Elgin

simple integrity mean

Simplicity of living, if deliberately chosen, implies a compassionate approach to life. It means that we are choosing to live our daily lives with some degree of conscious appreciation of the condition of the rest of the world.

Duane Elgin

simplicity appreciation mean

Simplicity means taking charge of a life that is too busy, too stressed, and too fragmented. An uncluttered simplicity means cutting back on trivial distractions, both material and non-material, and focusing on the essentials - whatever those may be for each of our unique lives.

Duane Elgin

cutting unique mean

To live more voluntarily is to live more deliberately, intentionally and purposefully - in short, it is to live more consciously. We cannot be deliberate when we are distracted from life. We cannot be intentional when we are not paying attention. We cannot be purposeful when we are not being present.

Duane Elgin

distracted awareness attention

If the material consumption of a fraction of humanity is already harming the planet, is there an alternative path that enables all of humanity to live more lightly upon the Earth while experiencing a higher quality of life?

Duane Elgin

alternatives quality humanity

Simplicity means to feel such a sense of kinship with others that we choose to live simply so that others may simply live.

Duane Elgin

simplicity may mean

We are the leaders that we have been waiting for. We are the social innovators and entrepreneurs that we have been seeking.

Duane Elgin

entrepreneur leader waiting

Only after people express their anger and sadness over the broken dreams of material prosperity will they turn to the task of building a sustainable economy.

Duane Elgin

sadness dream people

The intention of this way of life [voluntary simplicity] is not to dogmatically live with less. It's a more demanding intention of living with balance. This is a middle way that moves between the extremes of poverty and indulgence.

Duane Elgin

simplicity inspiring moving

Our life is frittered away by detail Simplify, simplify.” Or, as Plato wrote, “In order to seek one’s own direction, one must simplify the mechanics of ordinary, everyday life.

Duane Elgin

everyday plato order

Voluntary simplicity has more to do with the state of mind than a person's physical surroundings and possessions.

Duane Elgin

simplicity simple mind

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