[noun] the state of being simple, uncomplicated, or uncompounded
As my first year as Scoutmaster has come to a close, I can’t help but feel a deep sense of appreciation for the amazing experiences, bonding and fun that our Troop has had. When I think about what makes our troop so great, I keep coming back to three things:
1) We have fun in the outdoors
2) We are truly scout-led
3) We try to embody the Scout Oath and Scout Law
In these overly complex times, just by sticking to these three basic concepts we have achieved so much success and created such wonderful shared experiences.
When I think about why this approach works, I keep coming back to the concept of simplicity. Usually when I think of simplicity, I imagine a single leaf, or a pretty flower, or a clear night sky. Each of these examples brings a sense of calm and peace to me that results in a feeling of contentment. So why is it, then, that despite the fact that we’re naturally drawn to simple things that we continue to add complexity to our daily lives? When there’s too much to do, or we are surrounded by too much stuff, we get lost in the fray and can’t seem to find happiness as easily. Whether we are surrounded by stuff or are drowning in our thoughts, our lives start feeling messy.
This can be particularly true around the holidays. We get so wrapped up (literally) in gift-giving and receiving and/or eating that we often forget about the stress that we already have in our lives that is caused by the clutter in and around us. And while it is important to recognize that stuff isn’t necessarily bad and can actually be quite helpful, like anything, in excess it can become dangerous. In fact, did you know that most humans begin accumulating clutter as soon as we’re old enough to sit up? And that the average American home has more than 300,000 items? And that American children have 47% of the world’s toys but represent 3.7% of the global child population? Can you imagine what eventually happens to all of that stuff? You got it, it ends up in landfills or sadly in the ocean.
Even so, stuff takes up a lot of time and space. It also takes time to work, save up, and buy these things, not to mention the time it takes to clean, organize, and maintain it all. And it isn’t just material possessions that add unnecessary stress and complexity to our days either. We complicate our lives with relationships, work, activities, to-do lists, diets (or lack thereof) and negative thoughts. We expend energy on mental chatter that involves worrying, dreading, hating, and criticizing (both ourselves and others). Many of us also feel the need to “Keep up with the Joneses,” aka keeping up on the latest trends as a measure of personal success or self-worth.
But when we take the time to understand and appreciate simplicity, we can find a sense of joy and contentment that can never be taken away from us. The less we want, the more content we are with what we have, and the less we feel the need to buy. As a result, we can save lots of time, money, and energy. And the less we define ourselves—our successes, happiness, and worth—by stuff, the more enjoyment and freedom we can find in our day and the less external validation we need. We also have for more time to enjoy what really matters in life, which are the types of experiences that fuel our souls and bring happiness and meaning to life like many of the experiences we have through scouting. And most important of all, we help to save our precious environment.
Using nature as our role model, let’s have another amazing year in scouting (and in life) just by keeping things simple!