Many books begin with a page that reads, “This page left intentionally blank.”
But of course it’s not blank.
And it’s not even intentional.
Yet it masquerades as both.
Don’t we “consumers” do the same thing? We aspire toward a simpler life, yet we clutter it with noxious nonessentials.
An actual blank page needn’t announce itself—it’s merely blank. Likewise for a simple life—it’s simple not because it reports to be, but because of what’s there, and what isn’t.