The Pursuit of Simplicity pt. 2
As we originally dove into this discussion with three distinct schools of thought and three different individuals, we discussed the importance of being able to discern between different philosophies. But as I wrote that first piece, pondered the meat of the discussion, and continued diving into the PhiloStudy app, something dawned on me:
Epicurus and H. D. Thoreau weren't the only ones.
As I mentioned before, and will again, God has to be the control point of any discussion or research in this series.
Since the last two individuals we discussed were H. D. Thoreau and Epicurus, they played the role of test subjects against God's Word. Both had similar ideas concerning simplicity, restraint, and living within your means. That is going to remain a major theme of this series for a while.
Now we meet Lucretius (c. 99–55 BC), a major Roman figure in the Epicurean school of thought. As a poet-philosopher and author of De Rerum Natura (On the Nature of Things), Lucretius presented an extensively naturalistic worldview. That is where things become especially interesting.
God certainly created the world. But throughout history, people have added their own explanations, philosophies, assumptions, and interpretations to what they see around them.
I am interested in investigating those schools of thought—but with a grain of salt.
As I keep saying throughout this whole thing, I cannot accept an idea in its entirety just because parts of it sound good.
That is where perception and discernment come into play.
Lucretius and the Good Life
Lucretius has several major ideas and concepts associated with his philosophy, but only a few make the "good cut" for what we are examining here.
Perception, discernment, and the Bible guide me through this journey.
Two of his ideas especially caught my attention:
Religion is criticized as a source of cruelty and irrational fear.
Pleasure, understood as the absence of pain, is a basis for the good life.
The first one deserves some careful consideration.
There is certainly a historical difference between the world before Christ and the world after Christ. The Old Testament contains sacrifices, laws, judgments, consequences, and a covenant system that ultimately points toward something greater.
But I would be careful about simply labeling biblical religion as irrational fear. Scripture itself repeatedly distinguishes genuine faith from empty ritual, superstition, and false worship.
And then came Jesus Christ.
Christ's sacrifice changed the relationship between sin, sacrifice, and salvation. The Christian faith isn't built upon the idea that humanity must endlessly find ways to earn God's forgiveness. It rests upon what Christ did for us.
That distinction matters.
Lucretius was criticizing a world in which fear of the gods could dominate human life. Christianity, meanwhile, teaches that the ultimate answer to sin and fear is not merely human reasoning—it is reconciliation with God through Jesus Christ.
That is a major difference.
What About Pleasure?
The second idea is where things become even more interesting.
Pleasure is a powerful motivator for human beings.
But what exactly do we mean by pleasure?
Lucretius was working within the Epicurean tradition, where pleasure was not necessarily synonymous with luxury, excess, or constant indulgence. In fact, Epicurean thought could place significant value on simplicity, moderation, friendship, and freedom from unnecessary desires.
That brings us right back to the subject of this series.
Living within your means can bring a certain kind of peace and pleasure.
Pleasure doesn't always have to be expensive.
It doesn't have to be extravagant.
It doesn't have to be a luxury car, a giant house, an expensive vacation, or whatever the culture happens to be selling us this week.
Sometimes pleasure is a quiet evening.
Sometimes it is sitting outside.
Sometimes it is a good meal.
Sometimes it is having enough.
And sometimes, if you genuinely need it, going to the food bank is simply what you do.
There is no shame in recognizing that you need help.
Life wasn't meant to be chained to the dollar, status, or the biggest luxury you can afford.
But here is where I part ways with Lucretius and Epicureanism.
Pleasure cannot be the ultimate measuring stick for the good life.
Because sometimes the right thing hurts.
Sometimes doing your duty costs you.
Sometimes telling the truth costs you.
Sometimes serving somebody else costs you.
Sometimes following God means walking directly into something uncomfortable rather than running away from it.
If the absence of pain were the ultimate good, then sacrifice itself would become foolish.
Christianity doesn't teach that.
Wealth Isn't Automatically the Problem
A lot of people associate pleasure with status and wealth.
That can become a two-edged sword.
You can be wealthy and have a great deal.
You can also have very little.
Neither one, by itself, tells me what is happening inside your heart.
The real question is:
What does your wealth—or your lack of wealth—do to your relationship with God?
I am not bashing wealth.
Scripture doesn't tell us that possessing material things automatically makes someone evil. The problem comes when possessions possess us.
Someone can have very little and still be consumed by money.
Someone can have considerable wealth and still recognize that everything ultimately belongs to God.
The issue is not merely what is in your bank account.
It is what is in your heart.
That is where simplicity becomes much deeper than simply owning fewer things.
Don't Forget Job
And we cannot talk about wealth, suffering, simplicity, and trust without talking about Job.
Job lost almost everything.
He suffered.
He questioned.
He grieved.
He got a lot off his chest.
And his friends certainly didn't make things easier.
Yet Job continued wrestling with God rather than simply abandoning Him.
That matters.
Job's story also destroys the simplistic idea that wealth automatically equals God's favor and suffering automatically equals God's punishment.
At the end of the story, God restored Job and gave him more than he had before.
But I don't think the lesson is simply:
"Trust God and you'll get rich."
That would completely miss the point.
The deeper lesson is that God remains God whether we have abundance or whether everything has been stripped away.
That brings us back to simplicity.
Perhaps simplicity isn't merely about having less.
Perhaps it is about learning that God is enough even when we have less.
And perhaps that is where Lucretius, Epicurus, Thoreau, and Christianity can all sit around the same table for a moment.
They may agree that constantly chasing more can destroy peace.
But they do not agree on why.
And that "why" matters.
Where Does True Pleasure Come From?
This is where Scripture gives me the control point for the entire discussion.
The Bible doesn't tell us that pleasure is evil.
It tells us where true joy is ultimately found.
Psalm 16:11"Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fullness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore."
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