Radical Simplicity – Making Space to Thrive

By Jack Adam Weber

Contributing Writer for Wake Up World

Complexity and busyness characterize our times. Most of us don’t have enough time to do the things that matter most. If we don’t have a way to digest and simplify, we can easily feel overwhelmed and stressed out. Thus the great de-cluttering movement to simplify our lives.

Simplicity, therefore, should not be a dumbing-down of life’s complexities but an embrace of them. This way we arrive at a radical, comprehensive simplicity as the force of our presence and expression in the world.

Simplification, however, can backfire when it’s superficially engaged, by which we might do more harm than good. If you find yourself unable to find time for what matters most to you, I recommend cutting out the superfluous, unnecessary busy things you can do without. I bet you can name three of these things off the top of your head right now.

Sometimes we can fool ourselves into thinking we want a different life than what we have right now. We might think: I want to travel, do art, or meditate. But when we actually have time to do these things, we choose not to, for whatever reason. We might live a virtual, separate life in our imagination that theoretically seems better, but which we don’t actually engage.

It’s good to get realistic with ourselves, otherwise in trying to simplify our lives for what we think we want, we might be fooling ourselves. In other words, simplifying and opening up space in our life must be met by sincere interest and self-honesty, if we want real change. The danger in thinking we want something else is that we lose track of the hear and now, what is our life, and how to make our current situation better. This is why, for myself, I have always tried to better my current situation before thinking some other life is better, and tested the waters to make sure what I think I want is something I want and is really better.

For example, if I think want more time to travel and to meditate, I will make the time for a small trip and see how it really feels. If I think I need more time in the day to meditate, I will make that time by sacrificing something for that time, and see how it feels. If I think that life away from my current partner might better, Let me take a week off from engaging and test the waters. Often, we think something on the other side of the fence is greener as a way to escape working on and making our here and now better. Our defensive ego does anything to avoid digging into what requires facing our fears, challenges, and limiting beliefs. So, simplifying means being realistic; otherwise, we create confusion and unnecessary complexity by taking action that is not in synch with our true desire.

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Previous articles by Jack Adam Weber:

• The Modern Shaman: Fierce Love at the Frontier of Madness
• Arrogance in Relationships: How to Deal With and Heal It
• 11 Reasons Why Hippies (Not Psychos) Should Rule the World
• The Monsanto Years: Singer Neil Young Rips Into GMOs, Big Biz and Conformity
• ReVOLUTION: When Enough is Enough
• Sex – Truth and Dare, Pleasure and Purpose
• Relationships: The Costs of Staying When We Should Leave
• Emotional Work
• Yin Yang — Ancient Wisdom for Personal and Planetary Transformation
• Heartbreak – Loving Ourselves Through Difficult Times

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