Simplicity, Productivity and the 2 Giants (Short Essay)

(Philosocom's Asceticism Directory)

(Philosocom's Success Directory)

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You don’t need to live a grandiose, hedonistic lifestyle in order to be ambitious. In fact, there are many people who live simpler lifestyles and are still very accomplished and are still productive. As much as living physically alone and remaining in front of a screen all day is considered the hallmark of a person who "has no life", people judge by conventional standards, which then ignores the depth of simplicity, and binds us to stereotypical thinking.

For example, Emily Dickinson lived a relatively simple life, rarely living her family home. She spent much of her time in isolation from the world, mainly communicating with others through letters. However, she was a prolific poet and wrote over 1,800 poems in her lifetime. Her work is now celebrated around the world as an "early feminist voice".

On the other hand, Mswati III, the king of Eswatini (formerly known as Swaziland), lives a lavish lifestyle. He has 15 wives and about 36 children according to a 2024 report. He also owns a fleet of luxury cars and a private jet.

However, the African Absolute Monarch is not as well-known as Emily Dickinson. Moreover, with all of his power and prestige, he didn't contribute to humanity as much as Dickinson did. 25% of his kingdom's children under the age of 5 are malnourished, and over 20% of his people have HIV. He is often criticized for his lavish spending and his lack of concern for the welfare of his people. He also uses his security forces to crackdown subjects resisting his rule.

These two people are very different, but they both achieved things which led them to relevancy. Emily Dickinson achieved fame and recognition through writing poetry, while Mswati III achieved power and wealth by retaining his position as Africa's last absolute king. However, it is clear that it is possible to be ambitious and successful without living a luxurious lifestyle, and without oppressing those who think differently than yourself.

Now, tell me, which did more in terms of influencing the world: an esoteric, eccentric poet, or a less-known, less-cared-about dictator? This shows us that recognition and success can be attained without the excessive exertion of force, and without the unnecessary use of violence, as can be seen in Gandhian philosophy.

Whether Dickinson was ambitious or not, what matters is her writings, and not herself as much. Without them she would have been just another hikikomori withdrawing from society. Her poetry was massive in numbers, and had much greater power on the world throughout history than Mswati III. This is very ironic and exemplifies how Occam's Razor can be used for morality: You don't have to commit awful acts against humanity just to contribute to society and be a good person.

Perhaps, ultimately, he will be remembered but as one of the many modern dictators that have ever lived, not necessarily more than that. Governing a small nation he could've improved with reforms, but chooses to sink to greed and to hedonism instead.

It is often specifically because of a simpler lifestyle, that can make you more accomplished. Living more simply often means that you can have more time, energy and resources in your hands. And with these spare assets you can work better. Live in an ascetic manner, even, and you can work to be more disciplined, keeping yourself on the straight and narrow of your work.

If you have ambitions that require a great amount of work and effort, I suggest you to consider living more simply. Then, you can reduce distractions around you, killing off your already-limited lifespan.

Final Note: No offense was intended to Eswatini citizens during the writing of this article, including those who support their king. The usage of the Eswatini's monarch's example was merely used as an example to the argument made in this article.