The Healing Garden: A Place Of Peace

Gardening For The Soil Gardening For The Soul

Finding Solace In A Changing World

ISBN 0-9733085-0-8

By Gwen Nyhus Stewart

Chapter 11 Simplicity as a Life-style

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In this chapter:

Ø Achieving this State of Being

Ø Pursing a Life of Simplicity

Ø Practical Steps to Simplifying Your Life

Ø Discovering our Joy

Ø Self-care – Nurturing Self

Ø Practical Steps for Self-care

Ø Ideas and Options for Creating Joy

Ø Remember

“We do not inherit the earth from our parents, we borrow it from our children.”

- Native American Proverb

Thomas Merton wrote: “There is a pervasive form of contemporary violence… [and that is] activism and overwork. The rush and pressure of modern life are a form, perhaps the most common form, of its innate violence. To allow one’s self to be carried away by a multitude of conflicting concerns, to surrender to too many demands, to commit one’s self to too many projects, to want to help everyone in everything, is to succumb to violence. The frenzy of our activism neutralizes our work for peace. It destroys our own inner capacity for peace. It destroys the fruitfulness of our own work, because it kills the root of inner wisdom which makes work fruitful.” As you read Merton’s words, what do they mean for you? Do they resonate within you to the core of your being and the sense of existential despair experienced by so many people living on the planet today? Do you sense that feeling of futility (powerlessness), that no matter what you do, it will never be enough?

Peace, as previously defined, is a state of tranquillity or quiet; freedom from disquieting or oppressive thoughts or emotions; and harmony in personal relationships. Planetary is described as relating to or belonging to the earth; global; or worldwide. In our journey to planetary healing and peace, the task becomes one of discovery. Determining what creates the sense of belonging to the earth, peace as a state of tranquillity in our lives and relationships, requires us to ask the question as to, ‘How can I live on earth today so that my life and all other life is served as well?’ This section of the book will explore alternatives and options for making the changes that lend themselves to healing our self and our planet including options for ‘living more gently on the earth’ and ‘working for world peace.’

There is a relatively new phenomenon in North America called ‘voluntary simplicity.’ The term ‘voluntary simplicity’ is used to describe a process whereby people opt out of the harried life of modern day living, and chose to live a life of frugality. Frugality in this sense doesn’t mean poverty rather, it means, enjoying the virtue of getting good value for every minute of your life energy and from everything you have the use of. Frugal is characterised by or reflective of economy in the expenditure of resources.

This is the beginning of the eleventh chapter of the book The Healing Garden: A Place Of

Peace by Gwen Nyhus Stewart. There's lots more information online, but if you've read

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