Learn to practice Voluntary Simplicity to grow a richer life, both outwardly and inwardly. Practicing Voluntary Simplicity Our world is undergoing an intense process of transformation. Fact: The United States has 6% of the world’s population and consumes 33% of natural resources. China’s development is also accelerating the World’s resource depletion. Al Gore’s film “An Inconvenient Truth” clearly demonstrates the imminence of a catastrophe of planetary proportions. Faced with the evidence that the earth does not support our way of life, a movement called Voluntary Simplicity has emerged. In 1981, American Duane Elgin (1) wrote the book Voluntary Simplicity: Toward a Way of Life that is Outwardly Simple, Inwardly Rich (2010, 1993 and 1981). If the world preaches a new human ethic that speaks of fraternity and communion, of solidarity and compassion to preserve our future, what about us, Christians, that we should be at the forefront of this proposal, but also of the ecological movement? In fact, we should be aware that God has entrusted the earth to us to take care of it and not to deprecate it. Has God created us to love each other and to use people, other sentient beings, and resources only for our own benefit? We must begin by confessing that we become complacent with a system that produces social injustice and unbridled consumption of superfluous, while most of the population is deprived of the essential. If we were aware of our identity as children of God, we would not be so vulnerable to the calls for advertisements that lead us to think that our value depends on material goods, outward signs of wealth and success. Those who need to invest so much in appearance reveal a poor inner life and inconsistent self-esteem. We must not forget that Mammon money is power and...

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