Perhaps,thatisonereasonweyearnforthesimplelife.Inaway,wewanttobechildren,toletsomeoneelsecarrytheawkwardbackpackofresponsibility.
Wearelikewheat,hereonearthtoripen.Weripenintellectuallybylettinginasmuchoftheuniverse』scomplexityaswecan.Morallyweripenbymakingourchoices.AndweripenspirituallybyopeningoureyestoCreation』sendlessdetail.
OneafternoonIpickedupafallenleaffromthesugarmapleinouryard.Upcloseitwasyellow,withsplashesofred.Atarm』slengthitwasorange.ItscolordependedonhowIlookedatit.
Iknewalittleabouthowthisleafhadspentitslife,transformingsunlightandcarbondioxideintonutrients,andIknewthatweanimalsbreathethatoxygenthatsuchplantsemit,whiletheythriveuponthecarbondioxideweexhale.AndIknewthateachcelloftheleafhasanucleuscontainingachemical—DNA—uponwhichisinscribedalltheinstructionsformakingandoperatingasugarmaple.ScientistsknowfarmoreaboutthisthanI.Buteventheirknowledgeextendsonlyashortwayintotheseaofcomplexitythatisasugarmaple.
I』mbeginningtounderstand,Ithink,whatsimplicitymeans.Itdoesnotmeanblindingourselvestotheworld』sstunningcomplexityoravoidingthechoicesthatripenus.By「simplify,simplify,」Thoreaumeantsimplifyingourselves.
Toaccomplishthis,wecan:
Focusondeeperthings.Thesimplelifeisnotnecessarilylivinginacabin,cultivatingbeans.Itisrefusingtoletourlivesbe「fritteredawaybydetail」.Aprofessortaughtmeasecretforfocusing:TurnofftheTVandreadgreatbooks.Theyopendoorsinyourbrain.
Undertakelife』sjourneyonestepatatime.Ioncemetayoungcouplebothblindsincebirth.Theyhadathree-year-olddaughterandaninfant,bothfullysighted.Forthoseparents,everythingwascomplex:bathingthebaby,monitoringtheirdaughter,mowingthelawn.Yet,theywerefullofsmilesandlaughter.Iaskedthemotherhowshekepttrackoftheirlivelydaughter.「Itielittlebellsonhershoes,」shesaidwithalaugh.
「Whatwillyoudowhentheinfantwalkstoo?」Iasked.
Shesmiled.「EverythingissocomplicatedthatIdon』ttrytosolveaproblemuntilIhaveto.Itakeonethingatatime!」
Paredownyourdesires.EnglishnovelistandplaywrightJeromeKlapkaJeromecaughtthespiritofthatenterprisewhenhewrote,「Letyourboatoflifebelight,packedonlywithwhatyouneed—ahomelyhomeandsimplepleasures,oneortwofriends,worththename,someonetoloveandsomeonetoloveyou,acat,adogandapipetoo,enoughtoeatandenoughtowearandalittlemorethanenoughtodrink,forthirstisadangerousthing.」
NotlongagoIflewhometoseemyfatherinthehospital.Hehasadiseasethatnibblesawaythemind.Iwasasnarlofworries.Treatments?Nursinghomes?Finances?
Hewascrouchedinawheelchair,ashriveled,whitenedremnantofthefatherIhadknown.AsIstoodthere,hurtandconfused,helookedupandsawme.AndthenIsawsomethingunexpectedandwonderfulinhiseyes:recognitionandlove.Itwelledupandfilledhiseyeswithtears.Andmine.
Thatafternoon,myfathercamebackfromwhereverhisillnesshadtakenhim.Hejokedandlaughed,onceagainthemanIhadknown.Andthenhewastired,andweputhimtobed.Thenextday,hedidnotrememberIhadcome.Andthenextnighthedied.
EverydeathisadooropeningonCreation』smystery.Thedooropens,butweseeonlydarkness.Inthatawfulmoment,werealizehowvasttheuniverseis,complexityuponcomplexity,beyondus.Butthatisthetruegiftofsimplicity:toaccepttheworld』sinfinitecomplication,toacceptbewilderment.
Andthen,especially,wecansavorsimplethings.Afacewelove,perhaps,eyesbrimmingwithlove.
Itisthesimplestofthings.Butitismorethanenough.
那一年，九月的下午，我們五對夫婦各自慢悠悠地劃著獨木舟，沿著緬因州的薩科河順流而下，沐浴在夏末的金色陽光之中，無比愜意。岸邊的小鹿，啃著小草，搖著白色的尾巴，注視著我們這支小小的船隊漂流而過。晚上，我們搭起了帳蓬，烤著牛排，圍著篝火懶散地躺著，睡眼朦朧地凝望著滿天繁星。有人彈撥著吉它，唱起古老的歌曲：「淡泊乃是天資，自由乃是天賜。」
當然了，田園牧歌式的漫遊告一段落，我們又驅車回到這個世界，還貸款，忙工作，還有洗衣機塞滿了髒衣服。偶爾我也會情不自禁地哼唱：「淡泊乃是天資，自由乃是天賜。」我多想活得淡定從容，可哪兒去找呢？