Simplicity V

Simplicity cannot be understood without complicity. In our attempts to achieve simplicity in the material sense, we must also be conscious of the source of our material sustenance and possessions. Since few solitaries and hermits will be completely self-sufficient, we consciously or unconsciously acknowledge our tacit relation to others through the so-called marketplace. However, not only being conscious of the relation but also becoming aware of where our material things come and who made them is important in giving authenticity to our simplicity. It does no good to live as solitaries but off the labor of exploited people we never see or about whom we seem indifferent while partaking of their labor. This realization will make our choices better informed, our consciences more tranquil, and our progress in simplicity more fruitful.