“Live simply so others may simply live.”
This quote is by Mother Teresa, a person who gave of herself as an individual and through the charitable organizations she founded that have assisted and continue to assist people who are experiencing some of life’s most difficult situations, including poverty and end-of-life illness. I have written several posts in the past based on Mother Teresa’s quotes. I appreciate her selflessness, for she prioritized caring for others. I also appreciate her emphasis on the fact that whatever each of us does that contributes to that which is positive in this world does make a difference.
I don’t know the context of Mother Teresa’s words “Live simply so others may simply live” at the time she said or wrote them. However, one possibility is that her words were directed toward those of us who have the means to help others and therefore should do so. We who have a home, sufficient food, a steady income, and whose basic material needs are met should be generous to others rather than just adding to our own belongings and comforts. There are many people in our world who do not have a home, sufficient food, or a means of earning money, and many others whose shelter is in unsafe areas and who, although employed, have low-paying jobs. By our choosing to live more simply, we are able to share the blessings we’ve been given and by doing so to help others to have better life situations. There are many nonprofit organizations and church outreach programs to which we can contribute financially. We can also help in other ways, such as by volunteering at such programs.
Mother Teresa’s words can apply to other areas of concern as well. They cause me to think about doing our part to decrease global warming. We who live in wealthier countries cause more global warming than do the people who live in poorer countries. But many of the harmful weather events caused by climate change happen more often in the poorer countries, including causing drought so that crops cannot be grown to feed the people there. Our choosing to live more simply by reducing our carbon footprint helps people in poorer countries to have an improved quality of life.
When I think about letting others “simply live,” another idea comes to mind. We can help people simply live by not judging them, by not repeating negative things that we have heard about someone, and by not thinking of ourselves as being better than other people. Careless words and actions cause harm to others, including stress and sadness, decreasing their being able to simply live.
So I encourage all of us to think about the ways we can help others by choosing to live more simply. And then to take the steps and make the changes to do so.