A BBC television series called Victorian Farm depicts a re-enactment of rural life as it would have been lived in the late 19th century. It's mesmerizing to watch the female historian and two male archeologists, who were transplanted from their 21st-century lives for a year, living at a pace that many of us, particularly the city dwellers, would find difficult to emulate.
It's immediately striking that, although the three are seldom seen in repose, their activities appear almost meditative. Dressed in cumbersome period costumes, they tackle every task calmly and with admirable good humor and interest. Lambing time comes and goes, armfuls of piglets are born, the farm's only horse, a hardworking Shire, goes lame, and the livestock periodically escapes through gaps in fences which must then be mended using authentic methods. Meat is either slaughtered or shot by the men, although it's left to the lady of the house to deal with the plucking, skinning and eviscerating before cooking can begin.
In addition to keeping an eye on the chickens and keeping the morale of the menfolk an even keel, the Victorian farmer's wife has her hands full with sewing, washing, ironing, cooking and any number of other tasks that contribute to the wellbeing of the entire family. Astonishingly, they all find time for fun and celebration on special occasions such a May Day and Christmas.
The program gives viewers a true sense of the diligence and multitude of skills required of those who worked the land in the late 19th century. And, to be honest, I was captivated by every scene. Perhaps the program spoke to a long-resisted desire to escape from the city and live a similarly bucolic existence.
In reality, however, achieving a simple life has always been a lot more complicated than is immediately apparent. In Victorian times the majority worked extremely hard, often in miserably oppressive circumstances, to enable the privileged few to enjoy a life free of drudgery. The illusion of the simple, slow-paced 19th century rural lifestyle is an illusion fostered, in part, by the fact that even the most menial chore required the kind of concentration and craftsmanship rarely seen today. Labor-saving devices that we take for granted were virtually unknown and tasks such as laundry took four days to complete, while clothing for both sexes had to be sewn by the womenfolk. Without the cooperation of the entire household, things could go badly wrong.
Today, it takes almost as much skill and determination to resist the quick fixes and temptations essential to achieving the degree of comfort and affluence to which we feel entitled. Learning to avoid being bombarded with messages that tell us to buy more, eat more and want more is a challenge in itself.
Perhaps the true secret to leading a simple life lies in cultivating an ability to achieve contentment without resorting to retail therapy, impulse buying or serial monogamy. Everyone can give up a seat on a bus and it costs nothing to turn off a mobile phone and pay attention to the sounds in a park or on a beach. Baking at home is an infinitely satisfying activity, as is gardening, which even apartment-dwellers can attempt in a sunlit room or on a balcony.
Even if it's not possible to live as simply as we'd like, most of us can lead lives that pay a small tribute to simplicity and reap the benefit of intangible rewards. Although today's world is busy, complicated and full of demands, we, unlike the Victorian farmers, have the luxury of leisure time in which to discover the simple pleasures that add meaning to our lives.