As the complexity of my life grew, I discovered a gem: The key to Happiness is a simpler living, when life becomes all about finding joys in the simple pleasures of life, being content with solitude, quiet, contemplation, the awe of the daily sunrise and sunset, savouring the moment, the centrality of family and friends, the anchors that have kept me afloat in often stormy and challenging seas.
The wisdom and the healing power of simplicity: The day I discovered the wisdom of William Morris
William Morris, photographed by Frederick Hollyer in 1884. Photograph: © National Portrait Gallery, London
Nota bene
I had heard about William Morris, but I knew next to nothing about who he was. I can vaguely remember years and years ago visiting an old house in Coventry. I commented on an old-looking, but amazingly beautiful wallpaper in the hall and the landing. Our guide told me it was by William Morris, the Arts & Crafts Movement, you know! That was it!
Then, in 2016, our oldest Son, Kevin, and his partner, Sarah, who were working in London, bought a house in Walthamstow, E17. Over the years we visited them many times, and each time we got to know and enjoy the area more.
One occasion stands out very clearly in my mind, when we walked from their house to William Morris Gallery, a short 15-20 minute walk from the centre of Walthamstow. It was a beautiful spring day, a day we remember fondly.
At the entrance to William Morris Gallery, 2016. Photo by Anne Mofid
My wife and I had an amazing day, a guided tour, discovering pearls of wisdom, gems of beauty and more, as we went from floor to floor and room to room. Anyhow, to cut a long story short, we went to the Gallery and the beautiful gardens a couple of more times, whilst all the time I was reading and learning more about William Morris, influencing my thoughts and my vision for an educational tradition that emphasises ideas of “virtue” and “the good life”, beauty, wisdom and goodness, durability and sustainability.
The beauty of living simply: the forgotten wisdom of William Morris
William Morris: Walthamstow’s Gift to the World
William Morris, born on 24 March 1834 at Elm House, Walthamstow, East London, was a revolutionary force in Victorian Britain: Known for his fantastic floral prints, William Morris designed tapestries, wallpaper, fabrics and furniture during the latter part of the 19th century. He was also a celebrated artist, poet, writer and social activist. His genius was so many-sided and so profound that its full extent has rarely been grasped. Many people may find it hard to believe that the greatest English designer of his time, possibly of all time, could also be internationally renowned as a founder of the socialist movement, and could have been ranked as a poet together with Tennyson and Browning. His designs are still widely used today and so are many of his ideas and principles. Morris has enabled us to dare to imagine and envision a more beautiful world. Throughout his life he laboured through his creative endeavours to beautify the earth and the lives of those who dwell upon it. Long may it be so.
‘Simplicity of life, even the barest, is not a misery, but the very foundation of refinement: a sanded floor and whitewashed walls, and the green trees, and flowery meads, and living waters outside; or a grimy palace amid the smoke with a regiment of housemaids always working to smear the dirt together so that it may be unnoticed; which, think you, is the most refined, the most fit for a gentleman of those two dwellings…?
‘And then from the simplicity of life would rise up the longing for beauty, which cannot yet be dead in men’s souls, and we know that nothing can satisfy that demand but intelligent work rising gradually into imaginative work; which will turn all “operatives” into workmen, into artists, into men.’—William Morris
William Morris: A Man for All Times
Simple Life, is a Good Life
Why a Simple Life Matters: The Path to peace and happiness lies in the simple things in life
As many sages and philosophers of love and beauty have reminded us ‘much of our suffering comes from adding unnecessary and disturbing complications in our lives. We seem to be continually weaving elaborate conceptual webs around even straightforward events. We distort reality and shroud it with complications by superimposing fabricated mental constructs. This distortion invariably leads to mental states and behaviours that undermine our inner peace and that of others.
‘How many human enterprises and noble causes have failed due to unnecessary complications. We need to simplify our thoughts, simplify our words, and simplify our actions. We need to avoid falling into circular mental rumination, pointless chatter, and vain activities that waste our precious time and engender all kinds of dysfunctional situations.
‘Having a simple mind is not the same as being simple-minded. Simplicity of mind is reflected in lucidity, inner strength, buoyancy, and a healthy contentment that withstands the tribulations of life with a light heart. Simplicity reveals the nature of the mind behind the veil of restless thoughts. It reduces the exacerbated feeling of self-importance and opens our heart to genuine altruism.’-Matthieu Ricard
William Morris: A Life for Our Time
THE ARTS & CRAFT MOVEMENT: The Slow Pursuit of a Slower and Simpler Life
‘All art starts from this simplicity; and the higher the art rises, the greater the simplicity.’
William Morris and His Legacy: The Virtues of Simplicity and Valuing Beauty
Daisy wallpaper, 1862 designed by Morris. Photograph: © William Morris Gallery, London Borough of Waltham Forest
The Beauty of Simplicity — Living a Simpler Life, William Morris’s golden rule for a good and worthwhile life, his words and sentiments resonate with me. Why, you may ask? To answer this question, I need to go back in time, when, over twenty five years or so ago, I faced, possibly, the biggest challenge to my way of life. It could have been very disastrous. But now looking back, one consequence of that very sad time, was the fact that ‘Simplicity’, ‘Living Simply’ which was forced on me, has turned out to be the biggest gift I could have ever had.
Continue to read and discover more: The beauty of living simply: the forgotten wisdom of William Morris
Morris’ influence on me has been positive and great, rewarding and nourishing. Below I have noted a few examples of my postings, old and new:
World in Chaos and Despair: The Healing Power of the Simple Things in Life
Simpler life and simpler times: A Journey in Life
In these troubled times let us be ordinary and enjoy the simple pleasures of life
In Praise of Frugality: Materialism is a Killer
The secret to happiness? Contentment!
A Simple Manifesto for a Simpler Life: Why Simple Life Matters
‘We live in a time when many people experience their lives as empty and lacking in fulfillment. The decline of religion and the collapse of communism have left but the ideology of the free market whose only message is: consume, and work hard so you can earn money to consume more. Yet even those who do reasonably well in this race for material goods do not find that they are satisfied with their way of life. We now have good scientific evidence for what philosophers have said throughout the ages: once we have enough to satisfy our basic needs, gaining more wealth does not bring us more happiness.’- Peter Singer
Simple Living Promotes Virtue, Which Promotes Happiness
Simple Living is Guided by Economic Prudence, ‘Waste not, Want not.’
Simple Living Allows One to Work in order to Satisfy the Basic Needs and Thus, Enjoy More of life’s Experiences which Suffices for Happiness
Simple Living Promotes Serenity Through Detachment
Living Frugally Prepares One for Tough Times
Simple Living Enhances One’s Capacity for True Pleasures of Life, When Less is More!
Frugality Fosters Self-Sufficiency and Independence
Simple Living Keeps One Close to Nature and the Natural, when one is Guided and Inspired by the Wisest Teacher: The Mother Nature
Simple Living Promotes Good Health and Spiritual Purity
Simple Living Allows us to Speak of Global Responsibility and a Global Community. It Encourages us to Take Action in the Interest of the Common Good.
Journey to Healing: Let Me Know What is Essential
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