At the same time I wrote this post, I started reading Simple Prosperity by David Wann. Yes, that was over three months ago. Yes, I have had the book checked out from the library the entire time. I am THAT woman, the one who keeps books forever which is unfair to other library patrons.
Anyway, I really enjoyed the book. It was an easy read, not too long (I really have no excuse for taking three months to read it), and packed with thought-provoking statements and questions. Each chapter starts with a few quotations:
Too many people spend money they haven’t earned to buy things they don’t want, to impress people they don’t like. (Will Rogers)
A [person’s] health can be judged by which [s/he] takes two at a time — pills or stairs. (Joan Welsh)
When you have Enough, you have everything you need. There’s nothing extra to weight you down, distract, or distress you. Enough is a fearless place . . . . To let go of clutter, then, is not deprivation; it’s lightening up and opening up space and time for something new and wonderful to happen. (Vicki Robin)
David Wann is also one of the coauthors of Affluenza. Of the two, Simple Prosperity spoke to me more, delving deeper into the issues first broached in Affluenza.
Haven’t read either of them? Feel free to start with either one — I guarantee these books will make you question the way you live, the things you prioritize, and the costs of such a lifestyle. As I said in my Affluenza review, it is important for all of us, even those with only mild cases of “consumption,” to continue to ask questions, learn, and make changes in our lives.
Her Green Life 