The Simple Life

That last post got me thinking about a movie I saw recently. No Impact Man is a documentary about a man’s, along with his wife and toddler, attempt to live a full year with making as little impact on the environment as possible.

It starts out with them giving up elevators and eating out and by the end of the year, they’d spent six months without electricity and even longer without toilet paper! There was no mention of what they smelled like by the end.

While their experiment was a bit extreme, it all made me think. Like, why am I using disposable razors? How cool would I be if I could shave with an old-timey straight edge blade… I don’t even know what they’re called! I could spread the shaving cream with a little brush, all the while wearing my white undershirt and khaki suspenders! It would be great.

And why am I driving twenty some miles to work each day? Why can’t I catch the trolley while I hold onto my hat or maybe ride my mule to work? “Whoa, Gordon!” I would say, because he would surely be going much too fast. Or wait, it’s 2010, shouldn’t I be vaporizing from place to place by now. Maybe I should just think about being at work and then I’d be there.

I guess all of this is to say, I’m ready for the simple life. Move me to the country, because I want some dirt under my nails and sun on my neck. I want to wake up with the sun and enjoy the dark night full of distant stars. I want to unplug the TV, the radio, and maybe even the internet. I want to take the ringer out of my phone. I could then enjoy greeting the mailman each day, who would bring me contact from the outside world and undoubtedly, tidings of good cheer. Then he would be off to the next house, some 40 acres away.

Maybe all this has gotten a bit extreme. But if I stop and think, I do feel quite a bit gluttonous and destructive, like the mess around me is my responsibility. If I could just get a camera crew to catch my good deeds, I would be in business!