National Simplicity Day 2020: Importance and significance of the day in modern times

The National Simplicity Day is observed every year on July 12 in a bid to honour the life and work of the author and leading transcendentalist Henry David Thoreau, who was born in 1817. The day is the time to get back to basics and celebrate the birthday of Thoreau, who was an advocate of living a simple life. An abolitionist, a poet and an environmentalist, Thoreau believed that people have knowledge about themselves that transcends all the external force on their lives. 

With technological innovation, including mobile phones and laptops, the Simplicity Day gives a chance to people to shun the gadgets for a day and enjoy the feeling of truly being in the moment. The day promotes a simpler lifestyle so that people can get in touch with feelings. Thoreau, who is known for his popular book ‘Walden’, also reflected upon simple living in a natural surrounding. 

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Thoreau said, “As you simplify your life, the laws of the universe will be simpler”. 

A quote from ‘Walden’ read, “Simplicity, simplicity, simplicity! I say, let your affairs be as two or three, and not a hundred or a thousand; instead of a million count half a dozen, and keep your accounts on your thumbnail”. 

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History of Simplicity Day 

Thoreau, who was born in Concord, Massachusetts, always advocated living a life of simplicity and encouraged individuals to search for ways to live a simple life to do away with things that make us feel peace. He was an American essayist, poet, philosopher, and a leading transcendentalist who has been known for his philosophy of civil disobedience. His philosophies are believed to have influenced notable figures like Leo Tolstoy, Mahatma Gandhi, and Martin Luther King Jr.

In a bid to celebrate the day, one can read Thoreau’s ‘Walden’, which is a book about him moving into a cabin in the woods for two years. One might also try ‘unplugging’ themselves from smartphones for a day. The simplicity day might help encourage to let go of all of life’s complications, keep things ‘simple’ amid such unprecedented dark times. 

(Image: @ReshmaA29/Twitter) 

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