As the title above suggests I have been “thinking about thinking” lately and how the philosophy of minimalism helps with thinking more clearly and making better decisions. With less mental clutter comes better clarity of mind. And improved thinking leads to enhanced living. None other than Ralph Waldo Emerson stated, “Life consists in what a man is thinking of all day” and it was said of his friend Henry David Thoreau that Walden was his “philosophic act.” 

One of the many upsides of downsizing is the ability to pursue what I like to call “the life of the mind.” So to that end one of my favorite quotes is from John Adams, who said, “Let us dare to read, think, speak, and write.” And it was noted of his contemporary Thomas Jefferson that he “lived a conceptual life.” Adams may have been the voice of the American revolution but it was fueled by Jefferson’s pensive articulation of our founding principles.

And speaking of which, I have recently finished reading historical biographies of founding fathers George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and James Madison, all fellow Virginians in the shadow of whose homes at Mount Vernon, Monticello, and Montpelier, respectively, I grew up. What is more, I am a proud alum of Madison’s namesake university, whose motto is “Knowledge is liberty.”

It is such liberty that I believe has been trampled lately in the name of safety. Yet another founding father, Benjamin Franklin, reminds us: “Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety.” Living here in New England the last couple of years, Linda and I have experienced firsthand the nonsensical measures employed to ensure safety but which do not even pass the test of common sense. 

As the Psalmist writes, “While I was musing, the fire burned. Then I spoke with my tongue.” I have been musing, the fire has been burning, and now I am speaking as “my tongue is the pen of a ready writer.” While the tide appears to be finally turning toward more sane policies I feel the need to state my mind on this important issue. Thankfully, the “mask-erade” is being exposed for the charade it has been all along. 

When public libraries, once the bastion of free access to books, lock their doors and/or limit said access with misguided and ineffective means, a line in the sand has been crossed. As it has when media outlets and other journalists forsake their commitment to free speech in the name of corporate and government agendas contrary to the public good they claim to protect. Often, I do not even recognize the nation of my origin, much to my lament. 

I know the founding fathers, if visiting our nation’s capital of Washington, D.C., would lament the state of our union also. Do yourself a favor and visit the National Archives and view our founding documents up close and in person, as Linda and I have done. And before you leave the district, stop by the Jefferson Memorial to read his reminder to us all: “I have sworn on the altar of God eternal hostility to every form of tyranny over the mind of man.”