Greenwood daily commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1919-1926, 1920-03-23
III Ow to
Live
s.
Common Sense Comments on
Health, Happiness and
Longevity
II
By GEORGE F. BUTLER
A. M. NJ. D.
SIMPLE LIVING.

SIMPLE LIVING.
Gain n Greed seem to be mans
chief motives of action. These. to
geiller with the prevailing discomfort,
se.fiS'HeSS hurry and worry are mak-
Ing nlnSt of the trouble existing III the
Wnrid today. 1t is true. OF course. that
We must have money in order to houSe
iced and clothe ourselves and members,
of our family. bu could we not sim
plify matters considerably 10 our greaT
aiN:ntage? Would We not be health
fer ari happier il we lived simpler
lives: Seif-Sacrifice is absolutely nee
eS%;try to full rich living: it enters ,ntc
all the essential actions of humanity.
eHt needs apparently have grown will:
tha te:lrS. hu1 do we really need as
much as we think we doi How Few
Of f> have the courage and ~lntiPnend-
eICe 10 10 without Sa1ne Of the neceS-
Sites and many OF the iuXurieS OF
life, In trying to keep up with the
ar"Ee~Sion" We become more and more
dissatisfied and disconnected; our
HerVe> are, irritated and strained and
dur health impaired. Simplicity is de
Strayeh and health and happiness en-
daH%ered by any attempt to live in
harmony with public opinion. ASK
yourself his question. those of you
VIII are s%training every nerve to keep
In thp game.'--"Am | really more
pe""eful. more fraterual. and in better
Ho@uttI and physical health. than if !
-y-,,.. --,f,nn,rort ,,,1rh 70 1.-Two r,,ro
sillrly?" Now. "~honest," what is your
an>W@r2 Are yCu not more discomfort
I'd fer striving for the noneSSentials
ant in endeavoring to keep up with,
or out#hine your neighbors? And dis
corf"stt impairs health.
Charles Wagner says. "SimpIicity is
a stat" OF mind. At bottom. it consists
in ,0r:ing our acts and aspirations in
acror,iance with the law of our being.
ana ~~"nsequently with the eternal in
tprtsnn which willed that we should
he 1t all. Plain living and high think
ing is $implIfcation. Nothing endures
hut + . commonplace; happy is he who
fin the way back to simplicity"
When we are constantly trying to com
PEI with or OutShine others we are
ki',s44- simplicity and destroying our
happiness. Our thoughts should be
siul@tiod ara to simplify them is to
have saith anI confidence in the stabil-
IN uf the universe: to be Optimists
rather than p~essilni>ts; to hope, to be
caiu3 70 be thoughtful of others, kind.
truthful. just and frank. If we cult
va1- such thoughts and simplify our
SnnprIf. lowering our voice. talking less
and doing more good in the world, our
a~ver-eNcited nerves will be sOOthed and
our general health improved. Our
needs. too, should be simplified. Tenn
perance in everything-in eating, in
work. in p~leasure-is the best guard
ian OF our health and happiness.
The truth is we are all of us depend
ing too much on the without and not
| enough on the within. By simplifying
our thought. speech. manners, needs.
pleaSures-in a word, by living the sim
pie life. and by strengthening the in
ner life-we secure increased inmu-
nitv from the inroads Of disease and
exercise the Keen JOY of living. To
have health and happiness is but &c
live in harmony with a few simple,
cIearly-defned laws. Simplicity is the
law of nature; in all her revelations
nature is seeking to teach man the
greatness of simplicity.
As CARLYLE cried produce, produce
So Thoreau cried simplify. simplify
life, Now put the two doctrines OF
practical living misunderstanding life
as 1horeau would have it. then do the
duty that lies nearest. as Carlyle en-
Joins. and we have the ground work. il
seems to me, of the life best worth
living. LEARN HOW TO LIVE.
Bodily vigor means activity, enthus1-
asm, determination, and energy-1i
means that the mind has at command
its best powers. and that all the parts
of your nature are in a condition to
work togther ~joyously n harmoni
ously.
We want to diminish the amount OF
submerged "husy' work ard to ex
OUNCE all desperate and hopeless work !;
we want to see fun and games playing
through it. as heat lightning plays
through heavy clouds.
The more useful work you do, and
the more you think and feel, the more
you really live. The idle man is q
useless man. and no matter to what
extent his life may be prolonged, mere
iy vegetables.
Service is one of the ways by which.
we can get a purchase on the Who'll
universe. IF we fad the job where
we can be of use. we are hitched TO
the star of the world. and move with
it.
Everyone feels better in fresh or
outdoor air: SO does an invalid OF
depressed person: hence fresh air
air tina is cool and moving-should be
the kind of air getting TO the lungs.