Thomas a Kempis is revered by me for one of his sayings, the translation of which would be: "Love few and simple things and you will find good peace." The second line has been rendered more poetically as "Simple life much comfort brings." The Latin reads (and I think the words are fathomable):
Ama pauca et simplicia
Et pacem bonam reperies.
I totally approve of his standards of restraint and believe that he is more than ever right in an age of luxury (for some), complexity, the endless quest for better material goods - and the resultant stress. I used to love a hike on the Pembrokeshire coastal path, gazing at lighthouses, rocks and waves, followed by a cold dip in a surfy sea.
Now that I am depended on a rollator for mobility and go only as far as my local park, I still relish the flowers and trees and, when I get home, love to see my pet snails wave their antennae at me when I talk to them.
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Perhaps even an autumn squirrel, that imagination transforms from grey to red. |
Accepted in principle (and easier for a war baby, perhaps) but - what constitutes simplicity nowadays? Am I breaking faith if I eat one chocolate truffle or have a small glass of red wine with a basic dinner? Is it relative - so that I am abiding by his dictum if I spend less, much less, than other people, never fly and do not own a car?
