In the past few decades, our society has taken a hard left turn, both morally and politically. Those changes have caused a large amount of people to want to scale back and live more simply and traditionally, myself included. So, what is a simple and traditional life to me? Read on to find out.
Artwork: Glendening by Alfred Augustus, 1840-1921
When I was younger, I remember everyone talking about what they believed life would look like once the year 2020 hit. I think some of the speculations were a little bit exaggerated (enter: flying cars). But nonetheless, we all knew that our lives would look completely different with every year that passed us. About half the country believes those changes have been great for our country and for humanity as a whole. The other half is not so sure about that. I will unashamedly admit that I am in the latter group. What society has called “progressive” change, I believe is really “regressive” change.
Treating men and women exactly the same: regressive.
Believing men can menstruate, conceive, and give birth: very regressive.
Claiming that conservative Christian values are evil and fascist: regressive.
Belittling women who prioritize their home and their families over a corporate career (while claiming you’re a feminist in the same breath): regressive.
I think you get the point. Pretty much everything society praises, I am shaking my head at. It can be hard to believe that so many people truly think our society is headed in a good direction. That thought alone is enough to make me want to scale back and live differently.
Our Desire to Live Simply & Traditionally
When my fiancĂ© and I voice our desire to live simply and traditionally, many people are quick to show their concern. We know they’re only doing it out of love because they don’t want us to make our lives harder than they need to be. But, I think a lot of their concern comes from a simple misunderstanding of what it actually is we want in our lives. I think that’s the case for many people. Society has demonized that way of living and so many other people have taken it to the extreme, that now nobody understands what living simply and traditionally really means.
It’s important to realize that there’s a lot of nuance in that term. What it means to me may not be the same as what it means to another woman. It isn’t a one-size-fits-all way of life. There are so many facets within it that make it almost impossible for two families to live it out in the exact same way.
So, what is a simple and traditional life to me?
one // a life with God at the center
The most important part of a life lived simply and traditionally is having God at the center of it. He is the most simple and traditional thing to exist in our world. I’m not saying that God Himself is simple. He is far from that. What I’m saying is that if you look at life as a hierarchy, He is the thing at the bottom. The thing that everything else is built upon. In that way, He is the most simple thing in our lives. He is simple and traditional because He never changes. He is the same yesterday, today, and forevermore. If you’re going to live a simple and traditional life that is built on the basic foundations of truth, your life has to be built on Him.
two // a slow pace of life
Our society praises busyness. But is being busy really the best way to live and get the most out of your life? Not only does being constantly busy decrease your quality of life in my opinion, it also negatively affects your health, especially as women. Our society has evolved to promote a fast-paced lifestyle, but our bodies haven’t. They still need rest and slowness. When you are constantly on the go, all you’re doing is stressing your body out, living in an exhausted state, and forcing your body to run on stress hormones. When you slow down, you’re not only doing your health and well-being a favor, but you’re also better able to enjoy your life instead of watching it fly by.
three // a life focused on family, marriage, & children
Our society demonizes marriage, motherhood and fatherhood, and children. On the other hand, the Bible says that children are a blessing from God and that marriage should be treated with honor. If you are living a traditional life, which involves having God at the center of it as I said above, you will also value family, marriage, and children. I truly believe that our country is in the mess that it’s in because a majority of its citizens have thrown the family to the wayside.
Within the family is the place where children feel loved, get the attention they need, and are taught the values and knowledge they need to be a respectable human being in this world. That no longer happens because intact families are few and far between. Not only do children need close family members to thrive, they also need whole families. Families that have both a mother and father to glean wisdom and receive love from. But, since marriage is no longer taken seriously and held with honor, many families no longer have both a mother and father in them. That needs to change if we want to see change in the right direction in our society.
four // having traditional values
Our society has taken on many new “progressive” ideas. Anything that opposes those ideas is considered hateful by those following the mainstream agenda. However, if you’re living a traditional life that aligns with Scripture, those “hateful ideas” are really just the truth. They are written in the Bible, and since we know the Bible never changes, we also know that those things will be true until the end of time.
five // carrying out biblical gender roles
The Bible, and our biology, clearly lay out differences between men and women. Within these differences are separate and distinct roles for each gender. The betrayal of these roles is another reason why our society is crumbling. Instead of accepting and celebrating the differences between males and females, many people are now fighting those differences, and in turn, fighting those of the opposite sex. This will destroy a society from the inside out, but I also believe it will destroy your body from the inside out.
Not honing in to the natural biological tendencies that God put into your body for a reason will only do more harm than good on your health. I think this is a huge reason why we see so much depression and anxiety nowadays. People are at odds with their own biology, which will obviously only cause internal strife and stress. Accepting and delighting in what you were created to be and do as a man and woman is freeing. Wishing you were something you weren’t and trying to do what the other sex was created to do is limiting and depression-inducing.
six // growing & raising your own food
Yet again, another thing I believe is destroying our society is the food that we are eating. Our country, even though it is the country that eats the most food, is extremely undernourished. The foods that are promoted as “healthy” are anything but that. Real whole foods like milk, butter, meat, eggs, and fruit are demonized. At the same time, foods like Cheerios, canola oil, and fake meat are praised.
We are definitely seeing the ramifications of that propaganda. Our country is plagued with disease and every type of ailment you can think of. Cancer rates are at an all time high and fertility rates are at an all time low. How long does it take for people to look at that and realize we need to change something? Specifically, changing the types of food we put into our bodies.
Food is fuel and our cells need specific things in order to be filled up.
It doesn’t want canola oil, or fake meat, or GMO vegetables and grains. It wants real foods that it recognizes and can use. The foods that are readily available at the grocery store shelves are not filled with any of the nutrients and minerals our bodies need to thrive and survive. That should be obvious, but considering the health of our country, I don’t think it is.
Because of this, I think a huge part of living a simple and traditional life is growing and raising your own food. It is so hard to find food at the store that isn’t full of fake ingredients and seed oils, or sprayed with tons of chemicals. Since avoiding those things is important to me, I want to be in charge of producing my own food. That is both easier and cheaper. I believe we should eat a traditional diet just like our ancestors did. Of course they had their own problems, but they weren’t plagued with the health issues that we are today. To me, the proof is in the pudding that eating real foods is good for our overall health and nourishment.
seven // making most of your food from scratch
In the same way, I want to be in charge of making my own food too. Like I said, the majority of food on the grocery store shelves is filled with terrible ingredients. Something that I can make with five ingredients has a list thirty ingredients long. Why? Who knows. I’m convinced (kind of) that they do it on purpose to destroy our health. Making the majority of my food from scratch gives me a peace of mind that I’m putting good things into my body. Plus, I think it tastes so much better.
eight // living as naturally as possible
Just like our food, our products are also filled with terrible ingredients. Our liver detoxes the bad things out, but it can only handle so much. If you’re constantly putting toxin-filled products onto your body, your liver will become overburdened and those chemicals will build up. I think it also should be obvious that these things are causing our health issues. However, ingredients seem to be getting worse and worse. That’s not going to change, so we need to start paying attention to what we’re using.
My final thoughts on living a simple and traditional life
The brand slogan for my blog is “Living Simply & Traditionally in a Modern World.” If you look at the homepage of my website, you will see that each category of posts envelopes one of the ideas above. Traditional Values. Simple Living. Natural Wellness. Food From Scratch. My hope with this blog is that I can share the simple lifestyle and traditional values that make up my life with all of my readers. It’s still something I’m learning myself, but I hope to share what I’m learning with you along the way. To me, these ideas are progressive, not the popular ideas of our time. Living simply with traditional values is what will make the Western world a free and thriving place again. We can only change that one family at a time.
Thanks for reading! If you liked this post and want to read more like it, leave a comment down below. If you have any suggestions for posts you want to see in the future, leave those in your comment as well. Be sure to share this with your friends and family, and anyone else you think would enjoy it.
XO, Sam.