A couple of months ago I started sponsoring a 6 year old girl from Malawi, Africa. I hadn’t yet had the chance to write to her, although it’s been on my “task” list. Much to my surprise, I checked my mail and sure enough, I received a letter from her. It was very brief, but one sentence in particular brought a river of tears streaming down my face. It wasn’t anything terrible or horrific, but something that made me think that as Americans we live with so much excess and never really take the time to enjoy the simple pleasures in life. That sentence was “I do like playing with empty tins and sand.” I immediately thought of all the high tech gadgets, closet full of clothes and wide array of pretty much anything and everything I have access to: food, games, household goods, beauty and health products. Then I imagine a girl in a poverty stricken country who is left to play with nothing else but tin cans and sand. We live in a world of buy, buy, buy never really thinking that maybe, just maybe, less is more. Our big houses, fancy cars, when we’re done with something we throw it away instead of questioning the purchase in the first place.
Although I’ve gotten much better at reducing (reduce, reuse, recycle), after reading this letter I’m again reminded that sometimes all you need is something so basic to bring you happiness.
What I leave you with is both a quote and a very interesting short video clip (“The Story of Stuff“). I strongly urge you all to watch it – I guarantee you’ll learn at least a couple of new things. And just remember, when you’ve had enough of your PS3, iPod, Blackberry and any other device that “has memory” – go back to basics; play with empty tins and sand.
“To live more simply is to live more purposefully and with a minimum of needless distraction.”
-Duane Elgin
