Afiya27, 47

Voluntary Simplicity ... I'm very interested in serving my community by establishing a support group for middle class Americans for the cultivation of values/practices aligned with a voluntary simplicity ethos. This lifestyle is committed to simplifying one's material resource consumption/dependence for reasons that range from a) the personal psychological benefits that can be derived therefrom, b) the eco-stability that can result, and c) the wealth-redistributive potential of this life aesthetic. I myself grew up in an analogously idealistic setting. It was very inspiring and impactful to grow up amongst an informal community of adults who held high secular standards for their choices/behaviors. I'd love to contribute to such a setting for children in my community in supporting their parents (and myself) in making such lifestyle changes. An outgrowth to such a support group could be a children's supplemental (after-school or weekend) school in which that would also learn about the benefits of voluntary simplicity in terms of cultivating compassion for self and (most importantly) others. I hold an MS in biology (human evolutionary genetics). Hence, I have a good grounding in the overwhelming evidence supporting the fact that humanity is truly one family, that the earth is our mother, and that our ancestral lifestyle (to which our brains are adapted) was far less complex in the sense that it is for us now. I'd love to contribute such knowledge to the 'pot' of wisdom that a support group of individuals committed to this lens/lifestyle could 'brew'. Such changes would be difficult for me (and likely others). But they'd ultimately be worth it IMHO in terms of bringing our species an inch further away from our current brink of extinction... In light of my potential contribution to such a group (mentioned above in terms of evolution), I have committed myself to science education as a means of serving my community. If this resonates with you, I'd love to meet you/get to know you!