Live simply that all may simply live
Live simply that all may simply live.
This is a very old saying with little proof of who said it first. Some say Elizabeth Seton. Some say Ghandi. It has been around a lot longer than the billionaire class we are subjected to today, which goes to show that income inequality is not a new issue to blame on oligarchs. This saying asks us to examine the ways that we live, and it suggests that if we share instead of hoard, everyone can get a fair share.
This communal understanding of living did not come from socialism, and not just from the Bible—though it is in the Old and New Testaments. Hunter/gatherer societies and early agricultural societies distributed resources through rituals. There are lots of stories in the Bible that ask us to consider how much we have, how much we need, and how much we give. One of the foundations of Sabbath is the idea that we all have enough that we can take one day and rest. The practice of jubilee was to forgive all debts so people could return to their land and start again having enough, not passing their debts down to the next generation.
The story of God giving the Hebrews manna in the desert is a great example. (You can read the story in Exodus 16:2-15 here). At this point, the people have been rescued by God from Pharaoh’s grip. They are liberated, but they are also traumatized, shocked, and scared. They have come out of slavery, yes, but into what? What if they have walked away from something bad into something far worse?
When they cry out because of the lack of food, Moses brings them a solution from YHWH. Every day, God will lay manna on the ground and send quail to hunt, but this also comes with a command. Only take what you need for the day, except for the day before the Sabbath. On that day, collect for that day and the Sabbath day so you can honour the day of rest.
But think about being so hungry and desperate, standing in front of a feast, being told to only take what you need for that day. Being told to trust that, just like today, tomorrow you will have what you need, and the day after that too.
That’s a big ask. Only taking enough for this moment triggers all our fears of not having enough. How hard it is to only take what we need. You don’t have to have grown up poor to have those fears. We are told constantly that we are not enough, and that we do not have enough. The Rev. Laurel Dykstra of the Salal + Cedar Watershed Discipleship Community in British Columbia says this is not a lesson in how to deal with scarcity, but about what abundance really means. She calls this “a lesson in God’s economy of abundance.”
She writes:
“Manna appeared daily in sufficient quantity for everyone to have enough. People had to work to gather it, it didn’t appear in their plates or in their mouths. If you tried to hoard it, it would rot, grow maggots and smell foul. Abundance is not about having more than you need, but trusting that there will be enough if we share.”
If we all live simply, we may all simply live.
I want to invite you into a little exercise. This is for you, and, maybe, your household if you want to do it together. It’s a list of categories simply asking, do you have enough?
Do you have enough rest?
Do you have enough family time?
Do you have enough living space?
Do you have enough food at a meal?
Do you have enough work to feel a sense of accomplishment?
Do you have enough social time?
Do you have enough exercise?
Do you have enough community?
As you consider these questions, start to build a picture of what “enough” looks like for you. And just sit with that for a while. As you go through your week, your picture of enough may shift. Just take note of that.
Finally, there is only one reason to compare yourself to someone else, and that is to make sure they have enough. You may start to notice if others make do with less than you, or with more. It’s not a judgment, just a question to explore.
When we pledge, “live simply that all may simply live”, the goal is not our own self-discipline, but enough for all.
