Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44 Page 45 Page 46 Page 47 Page 48 Page 49 Page 50 Page 51 Page 52 Page 53 Page 54 Page 55 Page 56 Page 57 Page 58 Page 59 Page 60 Page 61 Page 62 Page 63 Page 64 Page 65 Page 66 Page 67 Page 68 Page 69 Page 70 Page 71 Page 72 Page 73 Page 74 Page 75 Page 7652 Plough Quarterly • Summer 2015 You have stolen it from the poor one who is shivering in the cold.” Living simply means resisting the comfort and efficiency that industrial society offers us at the expense of the environment. Almost every act in modern society destroys or fouls God’s creation: flushing the toilet, turning on a light, sipping coffee shipped across the world, buying goods made of plastic, and using fossil fuels and household cleaners. Wendell Berry writes, “Our destruction of nature is not just bad steward- ship, or stupid economics, or a betrayal of family responsibility. . . . It is flinging God’s gifts into God’s face.” Whenever we place our faith in mammon, wealth, and things, we enter a state of war with ourselves, with each other, with creation, and with God. The cycle feeds itself, gaining momentum as long as it goes unchecked. We must disrupt it at all costs. Any act of peacemak- ing is disruptive to a society built around war. Working with Our Hands How do we move in this direction? Lanza del Vasto (1901–1981), a student of Gandhi, offers us a simple formula: “Work with your hands. Don’t force others to work for you. Don’t make others into slaves, even if you call them paid workers. Find the shortest, simplest way between the earth, the hands, and the mouth. . . . When you have to sweat to satisfy your needs, you soon know whether it is worth your while. But if it is someone else’s sweat, there is no end to our needs. . . . Do it yourself. Show that it is possible to live this way.” Del Vasto himself sought to live out this vision. In 1948 he founded the Community of the Ark at La Borie Noble, France. This com- munity, where Sarah and I lived for eighteen months before starting in Missouri, is the inspiration for our imperfect experiment at Still Waters Sanctuary. At the Community of the Ark, the day was punctuated by prayer and song, and a bell of mindfulness that rang to invite everyone to stop their labor and ground themselves in the pres- ence of God. Decisions were made collectively by consensus. We sat on handmade furniture, spent evenings by candlelight, watched members spin and weave their clothing, helped host thousands of visitors, and ate food grown organically by horse and human power. We Draft horses replace tractors for farming, and are rewarded with access to ample pasture. Photograph courtesy of Katie Currid