By David Heitmiller

Since my wife Jacque Blix and I were featured this spring in an article in the May issue of Esquire magazine, we’ve had so many media inquiries that we’ve joked we might have to hire a press agent. That article examined voluntary simplicity and those, like us, who have left traditional paid employment and adopted a simple and frugal lifestyle. Since then, voluntary simplicity, frugality and downscaling have been popping up all over mainstream media including major metropolitan newspapers and radio and television talk shows.

Hitting a Nerve

So why the sudden surge of mainstream attention? There is undoubtedly an element of journalistic "follow the leader" at work here. But Vicki Robin, president of the New Road Map Foundation and co-author of the national bestseller, Your Money or Your Life, believes it is more than that. "We've hit a real nerve in this society," says Vicki, "people are waking up to the need to take control of their finances -- to get out of debt and to build up savings. Secondly, people are really questioning whether the consumer lifestyle they've been living is worth the family and social stress it demands."

Several common threads seem to run through recent media coverage of the simplicity movement. As corporate "downsizing" continues its relentless course, many workers are actually finding it a blessing in disguise -- a way of escaping the rat race. A recent Portland Oregonian article seems to capsulize this theme in a quote from a downsized boomer, "I don't want to work for a corporation any more...I lost my job for all my trouble. Now I'd rather work less, earn less and spend less."

Another common theme is a growing concern over high debt, low savings and a sense of insecurity about the future. Reports of insolvent retirement funds and even social security coming under scrutiny are making people realize the need to eliminate consumer debt and increase savings to assure future security. For example, a recent Oprah broadcast featured a Chicago area couple who had eliminated $51,000 of debt in three years.

Running through all these media stories seems to be a deep questioning of the high-consumption, high-stress lifestyle most Americans live and a longing to find more meaning and put more balance into life. Cecile Andrews, Seattle area voluntary simplicity Study Circle leader, just began writing a weekly column on voluntary simplicity in The Seattle Times, and has been interviewed and featured in many of the recent articles. "Several of the writers and editors that I've talked to have taken a personal interest in this subject," Cecile says. She finds them trying to slow down and put more meaning into their own lives and they are seeing voluntary simplicity as a way to reach those goals.

Voluntary Slackers?

One concern voiced about the mainstream media is that their corporate sponsorship will prevent an exploration of the deeper implications of Voluntary Simplicity. The "middle-aged slacker" image of workplace drop-outs living a life of coffee bar leisure portrayed in the Esquire article is an example. Although that image was disappointing, the article led to many other media contacts. Better yet, more recent articles and broadcasts have picked up on the volunteer and service aspects of the voluntary simplicity lifestyle.

Top Ten Trend

For voluntary simplicity to grow and attract a more mainstream following, it is promising to see a variety of media focusing on the subject. People come from a variety of backgrounds and may be attracted to simple living for different reasons and from different sources. Some may be attracted more from a personal fulfillment perspective -- a way to bring more meaning into their lives by abandoning materialistic goals. Others see simple living as the best way for the average individual to tread lightly on the earth -- using fewer resources, protecting our environment and moving toward a more sustainable world. Still others see life simplification as a way of recapturing time to become more involved in community service and volunteer work or as a tool to get out of debt and achieve financial integrity.

voluntary simplicity is one of the top 10 trends of the '90s, according to Trends Research Institute of Rhinebeck, NY. Recent media coverage of the phenomenon certainly seems to validate that view. Another indicator is the continued success of Your Money or Your Life, which is now rapidly approaching 400,000 copies sold.

So will this surge of interest continue? Vicki Robin sees no immediate end to this wave of attention because "what we're peddling here is unarguable -- it's common sense. These ideas are not right or left wing. Living frugally and simply, saving money, spending more time with family and in the community, protecting the environment -- these are things that almost everyone agrees with."

To meet the increasing demands for information about voluntary simplicity, Robin is working with the likes of Donella Meadows (co-author of Beyond the Limits) and Alan Durning of Northwest Environment Watch to form a national network. Perhaps as more and more people adopt this way of living, voluntary simplicity will cease to be a news event and become instead the standard for living.

© 1995 David A. Heitmiller

This article first appeared in In Context magazine number 43 in the winter of 1995.