Advice to My Son 8: Simple Pleasures

One of the major differences, my son, between our modern world of progress and innovation and the slower, gentler ages of the past is that we’ve changed our orientation toward nature. In the past, men sought to alter themselves to accommodate the realities of the world; in our age, we alter the world to accommodate our every need and desire.

Learn to respect the rhythms and cycles of nature. Take joy in things that come around only once or twice a year. Don’t try to own or hoard such joys; take them as they come and be thankful for them. Such joys are a gift to be cherished because they are passing and cannot be controlled.

I know that you’ve heard me express my anger at Nike for using the phrase, “live in the now.” The reason for my anger is that “live in the now” is a wise and true and Christian phrase, but its meaning has been twisted and perverted for the sake of profit.

When Jesus tells us in the Sermon on the Mount to live in the now, he means that we are to rely on him, that we are not to worry about the future but to place our hope in God’s promises and provision. When the Nike advertisers tell us to live in the now, they mean that we should demand that all our lusts be fulfilled now, without delay, and no matter the cost to ourselves and others.

Let go of that ravenous desire to have everything at your beck and call, for the desire will devour you in the end. Learn to take joy in simple things: in a good movie, time with a friend, a walk in the countryside, a slice of apple pie, a beautiful melody, a night of invigorating conversation, singing songs together around the piano. No one can take these pleasures away from you, and none of them will plunge you into a debt from which you cannot escape.

When you are assigned a major project and the task seems overwhelming, then look as well to simple pleasures as a method for completing the task. Break up the project into manageable bits, and reward yourself for completing each bit with one of the simple pleasures listed above. If you do that, you will find that the process need not be a weary or isolating one.

God gave the Jews a Sabbath, not as a weapon for increasing legalism, but a tool for enhancing joy. Work is a good thing, but it must be balanced with leisure and reflection and, yes, simple pleasures. We were made to work, but not to work continually without pause or rest.

So take the joys as they come, lifting up silent thanks for each one.