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Day 13<br />
Declutter Your Life<br />
“Simplify, simplify.”<br />
—Henry David Thoreau<br />
The simple life is a manly life. Some of history’s manliest men lived lives of<br />
true simplicity, free from unneeded clutter. The Spartans basically had one<br />
piece of clothing they wore all year, a spear, a shield, and some farm tools.<br />
Because of their simple lifestyle, they were able to focus on learning how<br />
to be fighting machines.<br />
Despite being relatively wealthy, Ben Franklin lived a pretty simple life.<br />
Consequently, he was able to spend his time inventing stoves, creating public<br />
libraries, discovering electricity, and founding a country.<br />
Henry David Thoreau and Ralph Waldo Emerson were evangelists of<br />
simplicity. When Thoreau went to Walden Pond he brought with him just<br />
a few things. Because he didn’t have crap distracting him, he was able to<br />
focus his energies into writing some awesomely deep thoughts.<br />
The simple life is a manly life because a man defines himself not by<br />
his possessions but by his character, virtues, relationships, and experiences.<br />
These are the things that he invests his time, energy, and emotions in,<br />
because these are the things that no natural disaster, no bomb, no prison<br />
can ever take away from him. The less stuff we accumulate, the less energy<br />
we have to devote to the maintenance of it, and the more energy we can put<br />
into becoming better men.