MANILA, Philippines?A week ago, we met Mrs. Sheena Westham in Kirkwall, main town of the Orkneys or Orkney Islands, a remote archipelago in northern Scotland. The Orkney Islands is home to some of the oldest and best-preserved Neolithic sites in Europe, and has been designated as a Unesco World Heritage Site.

Mrs. Westham didn?t tell us her age, but she said she was already a teenager in 1939 when a submarine of the allies was sunk by an enemy?s torpedo very close to their house by the bay. So, she must be in her 80s, but she can spring a new acquaintance a surprise by the way she walks uphill, something that can humble people a quarter less her age. Beside the 11th century St. Magnus Cathedral at the town center is a park where you see many local residents who are octagenarians or older leisurely walking or reading a book. Some of them, like Mrs. Westham, still works part-time, a few days a week, just to keep them active. ?And to prevent Alzheimer?s,? she said.

Live long lives

?People here live long lives,? Mrs. Westham told us. Her mother was 104 years old when she died and a living aunt is 100 years old. When asked what might be the secret for their long lives, she answered quickly, ?Plain and simple, it?s simple living.? A shot of single-malt whiskey at the end of a tiring day might also help, she added. Orkney is noted in the whole of Scotland for one of the finest blends of single-malt whiskey. ?But people here don?t drink more than what they can handle. We do everything in moderation,? she said.

Voluntary simplicity

Mrs. Westham gave us what could be the most effective formula for a long life?simple living plus moderation. It?s easier said than done but if one truly aspires to live to see one?s grandchildren?s children, following it is probably still one?s best bet. Some call it voluntary simplicity, a lifestyle one chooses that tempers the pursuit of excessive wealth and consumption. It debunks the more-is-better assumption in life.

The end products for adherents of voluntary simplicity are definitely enriching: enhanced spirituality, better health, more quality time for family and friends, less stress, more enjoyment of living and a longer life. Duane Elgin, a staunch advocate of this lifestyle, wrote: ?We can describe voluntary simplicity as a manner of living that is outwardly more simple and inwardly more rich, a way of being in which our most authentic and alive self is brought into direct and conscious contact with living.?

Low-key but active drive

Simple living as a concept should not be equated with forced poverty. Adherents generally live comfortable lives. Mrs. Westham lives in a modest but comfortable home. She still works, not anymore for the pay, but simply because she likes what she does?meeting people and showing them around her beautiful town. And she still has enough money left for charitable activities, or what she calls alternative giving.

It is heartening that the United Kingdom has a low-key but active campaign on voluntary simplicity. They even have a National Downshifting Week, which encourages participants to positively embrace living with less. If one feels he?s living on the fast lane and feels that life is controlling him rather than him controlling life, he?s advised to ?downshift? and live a simpler life. Campaign creator Tracey Smith says, ?The more money you spend, the more time you have to be out there earning it and the less time you have to spend with the ones you love.?

I think PGMA should assign a week also each year to encourage people to adopt this kind of mentality.

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