(An aside: Check out Sam article here and Courtney’s article here as we blogging-style discuss our own opinion about Simplicity and Courage)
(2nd Aside: Don’t forget to check out week 2 of OngoingConvo)
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It takes courage to run into a burning home to save a person. It takes courage to tell someone you have been beaten, physically and/or emotionally, to stop what they are doing. It takes courage to quit your job with $3k in the bank. It does take courage to do a lot of things in life. Simplicity isn’t one of them.
It does take courage to take control of your life, but simplifying your life is just one of the millions of ways to do so. It doesn’t take courage to simplify. It takes courage to make meaningful change.
How I Know This
Courage is something I like to think I have. It’s a quality I try to use as often as possible. I have done some fairly courageous things in my life. At no point, has courage coincided with me reducing the chaos that has been in my life.
When I began simplifying my life, I found that this small action was capable of making major life changes. I saw this through Leo Babauta’s writings over at ZenHabits. He wanted change in his life, so he turned to simplicity as a way to make this a reality. The courage came about with the desire for change and not in simplifying. I knew that, for myself, I needed a life change as well and simplicity was just one one to approach improving my life.
It took courage for me to accept the fact that I needed change. Reducing the number of t-shirts I owned wasn’t courageous…it was just necessary.
Not Bashing Simplicity
I want to make sure you realize that I am 100% in favor of simplifying one’s life. Simplifying my life has helped in countless ways. I just don’t want you to confuse simplicity with courageous acts or character.
Be courageous by making whatever change you need in your life. Take this upon yourself as a way to improve your life in exponential ways. Make simplicity a part of your change. Do whatever is necessary to make the smile as bright as others. Just because I don’t think courage is a part of simplicity, it doesn’t mean simplicity has little meaningful effect on one’s life.
Just because it doesn’t take courage to simplify your life, try implementing simplicity as part of your approach to being courageous.
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[...] a post about the topic. The cool thing about Twitter is that anyone can join the conversation. David Damron weighed in as well. The three of us wrote posts on the same topic, but did not share any information, or sneak [...]
Ahh, David, it looks like you and I think alike! Just came over from Courtney’s where I stated as much. Life change takes courage, but simplifying takes desire, possibly lots of it!
Bernice
Are you too busy to be yourself?
Hi David,
Interesting post. A somewhat related idea I have been thinking about recently is that courageous acts don’t make you great.
There is a lot of talk about how quitting a job or travelling the world makes you “extraordinary” or exceptional. The fact that someone took a courageous leap is great, but it doesn’t automatically add new meaning and value to their life.
For example, working at a dead end job to put your children through university is far more noble than running off to Thailand to party on beaches.
Are the teachers who stay after school to help students unimaginative wage slaves?
Real greatness is comes from acts of sacrifice, part of which is simplification, not necessarily from courageous acts.
Great post – interesting concept.
Courage helps us overcome fear. I agree that the fear though is in the actual change itself – we say we want it, but the fear holds us back. Up steps courage – and we make that leap – we decide to embrace the change.
Implementing simplicity – is, well, simply that – quite straightforward really – the fear is about the outcome e.g. what will happen to me if I get rid of all my ‘things’ – up steps courage, with his pal faith – we go for it – everything turns out grand.
That’s a roundabout way of saying I agree that it’s not the simplification itself that requires the courage. It’s the change resulting from that action that we fear – and where the courage is required to step forward and embrace the change.
[...] courageous. Whether or not courage is a part of simplification, you do need courage to live your full life on [...]
Hi David, I found your blog today from both Sam’s and Courtney’s. It has been interesting reading all three of your takes on this. It seems that your answer to the question is more of an engagement of semantics. After having read all three replies I find myself wishing that each of you had attempted to define courage (I think Courtney defined the term in her own words), rather than give examples you perceive as courageous.
Both you and Courtney provided the fireman trope as an example of courage. I would add that it takes courage to storm into the burning fires of one’s own psyche to save oneself from the deleterious consumptive habits of our capitalist society.
I think it takes more courage NOT to quit and keep on fighting and building yourself a career you love.
Anybody can travel the world. It takes courage not to be afraid of failure and keep on trying to make something of your life. Quitting is easy, success is hard.
You can do it man!
The solution to the question lies not in the anwers themselves but rather the thinking processes that occur in each person- the journey in the mind that takes you to the place where you find your own way to simplify.
I decided that on my own blog is the best place to write my opinion as it would take up too much space in the comments section. I would love for you to read and say what you think.
[...] Also, I am not up for a debate, and these folks did it so well I do not feel the need for it. See: Simplicity Requires Courage, Or Does It? What it Really Takes to Live With Less Simplicity Takes Desire for Change & Not Courage [...]
Agree – simplicity doesn’t take courage. I believe it takes determination and perseverance – so not the easy option by any means. But not Courage in my eyes – Jo
[...] Spurlin of The Simpler Life, Courtney Carver of Be More With Less and David Damron of Life Excursion and their 3 way blog discussion about “Simplicity requires Courage” got me thinking [...]
[...] Also, I am not up for a debate, and these folks did it so well I do not feel the need for it. See: Simplicity Requires Courage, Or Does It? What it Really Takes to Live With Less Simplicity Takes Desire for Change & Not Courage [...]