SIMPLICITY IN A RESTLESS SOCIETY

As a college student, you can bet that money has been no foreign object to me in the past year. Between the back and forth deliberations of financial aid, applying to scholarships, and overall witnessing the expenses of daily products- it leaves me overwhelmed. And it's a valid feeling, especially in a country whose student loans challenge home mortgages for the prize of largest debt category. The burden of money is further exploited by the consumerism of the modern world. Instagram shows us what products we are lacking, and- best of all- we can fulfill this vacancy in less than 24 hours through a simple Amazon purchase. But is buying truly satisfying our craving, or are we simply replacing a permanent insecurity with temporary phases of popularity? 

"Money can't buy happiness" does have some truth behind it. In a 2010 study conducted by Princeton University researchers, they concluded that day-to-day happiness increases with income; however, it reaches a plateau at $75,000 ($90,000 in 2022). Why is that? At this income level, basic necessities are sufficiently met, leaving people without stress of financial insecurity. Beyond this range purchases become unnecessary and, truthfully, wasteful. To earn more money, these individuals work longer hours which causes tiredness and pressure to increase. Spending is used to combat a longing much deeper than "needing more items."

So why, with reputable research on this topic, do we continue to assume that acquiring more will make us happier? I think a lot of it boils down to our skewed definition of happiness. In her book Suffering is Never for Nothing, Elizabeth Elliot perfectly writes that, "An ancient man thought of goodness in moral terms. Modern man equates good with happiness" (29). Elliot continues to contrast the two philosophies to further her point that a moral man was concerned with moral goodness; however, we can see her interwork the concept of happiness, arguing that modern man equates goodness with happiness and, therefore, the concepts are dependent on each other. If we believe that happiness can only be achieved in the midst of perfection and goodness, this leaves us striving for more: striving to fulfill the perfect image, trend, or body that is depicted by Instagram. I believe that God would agree happiness is not being in a state of perfect contentment, but rather being in a state of gratitude. 

In teaching His own disciples- the men entrusted to bear witness to His mercy- God gave very simple instruction. In the Gospels, when the disciples ask Jesus to teach them to pray like the Son of Man, Jesus provides them with the Our Father:

"When you pray, say: 'Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come. 

Give us each day our daily bread. Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone 

who sins against us. And lead us not into temptation." 

Luke 11:2-4 NIV

The prayer is simple, yet covers the foundational values of exalting God, thanking Him, and asking for repentance. At Mount Sinai, Moses received just ten commandments from the Lord for the people of Israel. These individuals were preparing to inhabit the Promised Land of God, fulfill His 400-year-old covenant, and the most important rules were simplified to ten commands. God also informs them:

"Do not add to what I command you and do not subtract from it, but keep

 the commands of the Lord your God that I give you." 

Deuteronomy 4:2 NIV

God desires for us to follow simple decrees. He wants us to live with love, forgiveness, and repentance- little more. In keeping His wants simple, the Lord ensures that we can be fulfilled through simplicity. He knows this because He, himself, is the one fulfilling us. If we obey His command, all will be provided. Receiving the Promised Land is an unrivaled mercy. The people of Israel were disobedient and unfaithful in the desert, yet God executed His covenant as promised to their descendants. With the mere act of "keeping[ing] his decrees and commands," the Israelites were promised to "live long in the land the Lord your God gives you for all time" (Deuteronomy 4:40 NIV). What an undeserving gift it is to receive an eternal blessing to live long in the Lord's land. God demonstrates to us once again that He is a God of simplicity, desiring from us and providing to us only what is necessary. 

It seems that somewhere along the way, through 2000 years of history, we have become so disconnected from God that His promise is omitted from our consciousness. Instead, we glorify the desires of the flesh in hopes that they will bring resemblance to the unmatched gifts of God. I am not condemning others and justifying myself as exempt, for I recognize that I fall victim to social traps as well. Social media circulates an intense cult of consumerism and restlessness. We never feel as though we have enough of anything, but it seems that what we are most notably lacking is enough faith. Faith that God will provide all we need, nothing wasteful and nothing left insufficient. Faith that we are created in His image and can do no action to improve or alter our standing in His eyes. Faith that the world rests in His hands alone. I wish for nothing more than to reach a point individually and as a society where we live like disciples, giving everything we have to God, for it is righteously His from the beginning. We are called to live as disciples, not as Gods. 

More is not always better (unless this is a matter of plants in your dorm... then more is always better).