Simplicity: Location and lifestyle

Anne de Gruchy, a Woodbrooke 2016 Eva Koch scholar, continues her series on simplicity by exploring the influence of culture and lifestyle

What is a ‘simple life’ and how and where can we lead one? An unexpectedly rich seam from the interviews I conducted for my research came from asking how people’s cultural background and upbringing affected their approach to simplicity.

In the BBC Radio 4 series Great Lives, Ann Limb suggested that the seeds of the testimony of simplicity were sown in George Fox’s experience and enjoyment of the simple lifestyle of a shepherd. Jonathan Fryer said that Fox ‘loved being out on the moors with the sheep because it gave him days of solitude and reflection’. How do people’s lifestyles relate to simplicity today?

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