Attempts at simplicity are rejections of culture. They are more subversive than words. To the ancient hermits, voluntary simplicity could not be pursued in the emperor’s palace or in the decadent streets and suburbs of Alexandria, Rome, Chang-an, or Kyoto. The hermits’ radical pursuit of simplicity embarrasses our cautious, even timid, attempts to consume less, waste less, and live less expensively. Not even our half-hearted imitations of simplicity would impress them. But they were not concerned about impressions. They would not judge us. They would only counsel us to keep on practicing.
journal of reflections by the resident of the Hermitary