afford?

You see, life is not only more than the accumulation of things. Life to Thoreau was very precious.

"Every creature is better alive than dead, men and moose and pine trees, and he who understands it aright will rather preserve its life than destroy it." Maine Woods, HDT.

Instead of our current preoccupation with material things, Thoreau would recommend a different occupation.

"For many years I was self-appointed inspector of snowstorms and rainstorms, and did my duty faithfully, though I never received one cent for it." HDT.

I fondly recall spending the better part of a summer afternoon on our screened porch. In the muggy stillness, as a darkening line of clouds approached, I could feel the cool breeze of the downdraft as a thunderstorm drew near.

Flashes of lightening lit the towering nimbo-cumulus clouds at a distance. As the storm marched north from out of the Gulf of Mexico toward our little house in Morgan City, Louisiana, that particular smell of rain coming appeared moments before raindrops the size of half-dollars plopped down making an audible sound. And then, with an explosive thunderclap and a spectacular display of lightning, sheets of wind-driven rain poured down causing me to be covered in goosebumps. It was an afternoon that I will never forget. It was simple yet full of life.

I was four, unknowingly hard at work in the footsteps of Thoureau some 108 years later. My inspection of the storm was thorough, and though not compensated monetarily, I was paid handsomely in the currency of life. Why not appoint yourself an inspector, unpaid yet amply compensated? As Thoreau wrote,

"Things do not change; we change."

Give up your desperation. Let go your "secrets" for I have learned that success is not measured by one's material possessions.

"Go confidently in the direction of your dream! Live the life you've imagined. As you simplify your life, the laws of the universe will be simpler." HDT.

Troubles find me when I traverse the boundary between the simple life and the complex. It is why Jesus taught "Go and sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor. Then come and follow me." The old saw "The one who dies with the most toys wins" is not only a lie but results in an overly complicated life and in Thoreau's view, a life of poverty. In the difficult economic times which beset America, in the midst of war, violence, and natural disaster, and in the brave new world of technology and globalization, one must return to simplicity. Return to a time of individuals and individual values. The simple life of honesty, truth, personal responsibility and recognition of the worth of every living thing is not a turning back but the means of personal growth and happiness.

Learn more about this author, Jeff Vidrine.
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