A simpler life

It is often suggested that we need to lead a simpler life. The herons I saw on this morning's jog along the Snells Beach foreshore as the tide was coming in, have a simple life; largely driven by the appetitive drives. Feeding, resting, mating, raising the young. Herons do not need to join a gym to control the weight gain resulting from too much food. More importantly they don't have devices to spend their time on. Nor are their relationships with other herons or other species anything other than simple. 

Using Aristotle's conception of the human soul/spirit/psyche, herons and most other animals have only the vegetative and appetitive parts. Humans and a few others have the rational decision making part of the psyche. Or so we believe. 

Probably most of us allow the vegetative and appetitive too much say in our decision making. Simpler, but less interesting, to just catch and eat one's breakfast. Then rest until hunger drives the next search for food. Such an approach to life is dehumanising. Despite the stress in doing so, we need to interact, and to interact collegially, justly, fairly, rationally. And we are learning that we must care for our planet while doing so.