Week 3 Response to Radical Simplicity

Jim Merkel’s Radical Simplicity forced me to take a closer look at and re-evaluate all aspects of my lifestyle, but more importantly, made me think about my life in the future. In general, I do not often think of my future life. This may sound strange, but I can honestly say that I do not have a specific vision for my life in ten years. Thinking about living on my own, with a “real job”, possibly marriage and children has frankly always scared me—I prefer not to think about it at all! I think this stems from the fact that for as long as I can remember “going to college” was my future life, and no further. It was the ultimate goal in the distant future throughout my K-12 years. When I finally arrived at this “future” in the fall of 2009, I did not really have a long term goal or vision of my life ahead of me. Lately, however, this has begun to change because of my experiences at UCLA. I have developed a more defined set of beliefs (both political and social) and now have practices and values that I want to incorporate into my life from here on. One of these values is now sustainability. Sustainability has always been important to me, but I felt like I never had enough knowledge or will power to thoroughly incorporate it into my life. After reading Radical Simplicity, I now feel like I have the tools to “live globally”. I now envision my life in ten years to be one governed by consciousness—of the people, species, and environments that surround me. I would categorize my current lifestyle as one of “conscious unsustainability”, in Merkel’s terms. However, as a student living in the dorms without a car, I feel as though my life is more sustainable compared to the average American. I really liked Merkel’s views on “divorcing your car”, and now one of my long-term goals is to do this. I hope to get a job close to my home that is accessible by public transportation or bike. Other material goals include consuming less. Less packaging, less material goods like clothes, less fossil fuels, I want to ask myself “do I really need this?” each time I consider purchasing something. Also, I have more inmaterial goals, the largest of which is spending more time in nature. Nature has such a therapeutic power that gives me an indescribable peace of mind. My life in ten years will put nature as a top priority. Merkel's description and admiration of Kerala also sparked a sense of longing. I wish I could have the chance to participate in a community like that and live simply and self-sustainably.
Merkel’s lifestyle definitely seems radical to me. His situation was extremely rare—the average American is not in a position to abandon their current lifestyles and go live in the woods, in a cabin complete with a root cellar. I feel like he was successful in his goal of bringing attention to the cause and this could not have been accomplished without his radical means. He needed to go absolutely over the top to make people stop and evaluate their own lives. However, he acknowledged the fact that not everyone can simplify their lives to the extent that he did, and instead provided tools that the average person can use to gradually become more sustainable. By using the three tools, ecological footprinting, Your Money or Your Life, and learning from nature, global living is presented in a logical and easy progression. I will incorporate each of these strategies into my life. My problem is that I have the willingness, but not necessarily the willpower. For example, if I were to match Merkel’s lifestyle, I would drastically miss my current food. It takes so much time and energy to grow your own food and I know that I would get frustrated after a while and crave a restaurant dinner!
In order to maintain my sustainable lifestyle, I need constant motivation and that comes from the knowledge that I AM making a difference. Living off the recommended 6 acres is a daunting task, which is unrealistic in my near future. But, I know that these concepts and lessons will remain with me for the rest of my life and I strive to one day reach that fourth stage of "unconscious sustainability".