A Plain Life - Hardcover

Savage, Scott

3.72

90 ratings by Goodreads

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0345438035 ISBN 13: 9780345438034

Publisher: Ballantine Books, 2000

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In today's fast-paced, high-tech world, the most radical act of all might be this: to slow down . . . to try, in each moment, to be fully, truly present. Scott Savage, editor of the hand-produced Plain magazine, spent ten years trying to do just that--by embracing his Quaker faith and, with his family, rejecting the trappings of modern life, technology, and media. Then Scott decided to seal his commitment to the plain life by terminating his driver's license.

In this account of his week long walk across the state of Ohio to officially hand in his license at the state capitol, each moment of the road leads to contemplations of what the transition to the plain life has meant for Scott, his wife Mary Ann, and their children. We come to understand that the Savage family's chosen life is not easy by any means, but the rewards of place, presence, authenticity, and community which have accompanied their rejection of what most of us take for granted are immense: the arbor of shade trees surrounding their house, the laughter of the children who without TV learn to create their own games and stories, the family activities of preparing food and tending the garden.

As Scott walks along in meditation, with trucks rumbling by on the nearby highway, he cannot help but think of Ned, the buggyhorse who, at the end of Scott's pilgrimage, will be the family's only engine.

There are vital, life-affirming lessons for all of us here--who might have only imagined taking some of the steps that the Savage family have put into practice. In A Plain Life, we walk into a smaller, revolutionary world, where the journey is sacred, and each step . . . a destination.

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Review:

Author Scott Savage recalls how he patiently waited for his assigned number to be called at the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles. "B-1!" the agent finally announced, and the humble Quaker stepped forward. "I want my driver's license revoked," Savage calmly explained. The agent slowly smiled as she studied the strange, Amish-looking man before her. Why would he want his license revoked?

"I could explain that I used to wear a suit and tie and sit in front of computer screen, that I made an hour-long commute to work," writes author Scott Savage (The Plain Reader). "That nowadays I get around by horse and buggy and I like it a lot better." But the reasons run deeper than an aesthetic preference for buggies. It took Savage (who is also the editor of Plain magazine) a week to make his pilgrimage across Ohio to reach the Bureau of Motor Vehicles. A Plain Life chronicles this journey as Savage candidly reveals why he needed to disconnect from the world of "instant mobility." "Losing control over where I can go puts me into a stronger relationship with people where I am--into a relationship of community," he writes. Through flashbacks and reflections, this highly acclaimed writer invites readers into his compelling Quaker community, where he spends his days doing rural chores, fathering a clan of imaginative young children, tending an inspirational marriage, and moving slowly as he follows the Quaker path. --Gail Hudson

About the Author:

Scott Savage is the editor of Plain magazine and a cofounder of the Center for Plain Living. He is also the editor of A Plain Reader: Essays on Making a Simple Life. He organized the Second Luddite Congress in Barnesville, Ohio, where he now resides.

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