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I have a vivid memory of visiting the Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill outside Louisville, KY. It was a bittersweet, sad experience, like walking through a house one last time before moving out. Everything was quiet and empty, but full of memory. Small touches remained to hint at past cheerful times – a chair, a quilt, or a desk all alone in an empty room.
There was a simple elegance to Shaker life. It extended through every object they made, every song they sang, and every place they touched. They lived with nature, using every product of their industry, with very little waste. But they were also very progressive. Their places are museums to us now, but that's just because time has passed them by. They used and invented cutting edge labor-saving devices. Before suffrage, they had a society of rough equality and human dignity. It's sad their beliefs doomed them to extinction.
Our lives can’t and shouldn’t be like the shakers – but we can learn much from them. Living with less can be a virtue. Working simply can be the greatest joy. And having less can make us free.
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