文章基本信息

标题：Stepping Lightly - Review
作者：Phil Johnson
期刊名称：Briarpatch Magazine
印刷版ISSN：0703-8968
出版年度：2001
卷号：Oct 2001
出版社：Briarpatch, Inc.

Stepping Lightly - Review

Phil Johnson

New Society Publishers

Gabriola Island Publishers, Canada 2000.

$18.95

Stepping Lightly is a valuable addition to the burgeoning body of writings about the consumer society we live in and the damaging effects it is having on people and the planet.

We who live in North America consume more goods and resources than anyone, ever. Many of us are convinced that this is proof that we have a high standard of living. Yet, this appetite for "stuff" and status creates air, water, land pollution, climate change, the loss of bio-diversity, dwindling fresh water reserves, and on and on. Further, it creates clutter in our personal lives and demands that we work longer and faster to avoid falling behind in the race for something we can't quite identify.

Fortunately, author Mark A. Burch does not simply trot out the grim statistics and leave us to wring our hands in despair. This is a book of solutions, sometimes subversive solutions. We can make ourselves aware of the real cost--personal, social, environmental--of the choices we make about how to sustain ourselves and our communities. And we can, he is saying, turn off the advertisers and become more mindful of what is really important "by stripping away whatever is extraneous to the central purposes of life". In short, we can choose voluntary simplicity.

The book Stepping Lightly grew out of a course Burch teaches on voluntary simplicity at the University of Winnipeg. He is careful to say that how we simplify our lives is dependent on our needs, abilities, stage of life, family situation and many other factors. There are chapters relating voluntary simplicity to work and livelihood, spirituality, the environment and self development. Thankfully, Burch is not a rule-maker; rather, he provides facts, options, helpful practices and encourages readers to take what they need in order to lighten the footprint they leave on the planet.

Phil Johnson is a member of the Briarpatch board of directors.