Ottoman Dervish portrayed by Amedeo Preziosi, 1860s circa, Muzeul Naţional de Artă al României have claimed that spiritual inspiration led them to a simple living lifestyle. He is said to have encouraged his disciples "to take nothing for their journey except a staff-no bread, no bag, no money in their belts-but to wear sandals and not put on two tunics." Similar to Jesus' statement, many notable religious individuals, such as Benedict of Nursia, Francis of Assisi, Henry David Thoreau, Leo Tolstoy, Rabindranath Tagore, Albert Schweitzer, and Mahatma Gandhi. Jesus is said to have lived a simple life. Diogenes, a major figure in the ancient Greek philosophy of Cynicism, claimed that a simple life was necessary for virtue, and was said to have lived in a wine jar. These traditions were heavily influenced by both Mediterranean culture and Abrahamic ethics. Traditions of simple living stretch back to antiquity, finding resonance with leaders such as Laozi, Confucius, Zarathustra, Gautama Buddha, Jesus, and Muhammad. Early examples include the Śramaṇa traditions of Iron Age India, Gautama Buddha, and biblical Nazirites. Painting by Jean-Léon Gérôme (1860), Walters Art Museum.Ī number of religious and spiritual traditions encourage simple living. Some cite sociopolitical goals aligned with the environmentalist, anti-consumerist or anti-war movements, including conservation, degrowth, deep ecology, and tax resistance (anti-war). Simple living can also be a reaction to materialism and conspicuous consumption.
Simple living is distinct from those living in forced poverty, as it is a voluntary lifestyle choice.Īdherents may choose simple living for a variety of personal reasons, such as spirituality, health, increase in quality time for family and friends, work–life balance, personal taste, financial sustainability, increase in philanthropy, frugality, environmental sustainability, or reducing stress. Although asceticism generally promotes living simply and refraining from luxury and indulgence, not all proponents of simple living are ascetics. Simple living may be characterized by individuals being satisfied with what they have rather than want. These may include, for example, reducing one's possessions, generally referred to as minimalism, or increasing self-sufficiency. Simple living encompasses a number of different voluntary practices to simplify one's lifestyle. Gandhi believed in a life of simplicity and self-sufficiency.