Personality-wise, I suppose I do, especially now that I’m in my sixties. But I don’t think that minimalism is necessarily advantageous in all cases.
I wonder what shape the economy would be in if everyone was a minimalist. And what would the Beatles have been like if they kept everything simple? 😀
Spiritually, I admire great Christians throughout history such as the Apostle Paul, Augustine, Patrick, Luther, Calvin, Wesley, and Spurgeon. They could have opted for quiet, simple lives, but I’m grateful for their influence. When God called Moses, Moses stated his preference for a quiet life. But he put God first. And his life didn’t turn out to be very quiet.
And then there’s the parable of the talents.
Of course, the parable of the talents is really about doing good in the world rather than being a great capitalist.
Yet, I think of how I have benefited from adventurous, entrepreneurial people throughout my life, in both work and leisure. I answered a similar question some weeks ago. I think the world benefits from having lots of different personality types and approaches. And, we should be kind to each other and value each other’s contributions.
Here’s a nice little song about celebrating diversity.
And within the Christian scene and within individual fellowships, it’s often a challenge for different personality types to get on with each other. And the same applies to different churches, denominations, and movements.
The Apostle Paul addressed such issues in 1 Corinthians, which includes that famous passage on love:
Here are a couple of hymns about unity:
And we shouldn’t forget that we don’t just love people within the church – our aspirations for love and unity should be directed to everyone. That’s why I celebrate secular songs about love and unity.
Hibernia Gospel 