Overload

We are, in this modern day world, overloaded with information.  Often, what we hear one day, and told its an absolute,  we hear a week, a month or a year later, that it is not true.   One just has to use salt as an example.  We were told for years to stay away from salt.  Bad for our blood pressure and now we are being told, not having any salt is a negative for our coronary health.   We are bombarded with studies that show just about everything we do is not what we should be doing.    Standing in line at the grocery store, the magazine racks are filled with conflict.  One says this, and another says the opposite.  We are pulled in a hundred directions.   There is little peace in paying attention to what each study points to, simply because next year they will change their minds and often the data is manipulated to stress the point made.  Manipulation can be simply leaving out information that shows contrary results.   We just completed a series of lectures where not all the information was up to date and some relevant studies were not addressed.
Even with religion, people seem to want to complicate it.   We honestly don't need a thousand books or opinions on how to interpret what we can read ourselves. 
Living simply, requires us to not listen to all the chatter out there in the world.  All the conflict, the studies funded by this or that industry.   What I love about the plain life and frankly miss it terribly is that the outside influences are next to none.  The computer I write on is also a tool for looking up a zillion things that I would be better off not having overload my brain.  Not being an Ostrich with my head in the sand, but living with a single purpose, defined by what I believe in.  Not being tossed around on the waves of this kind of eating vs that kind of eating.  This kind of lifestyle vs that kind of lifestyle.  Buying this kind of gadget because it can do what you have been doing, only 1 millisecond faster according to the ad.
We have complicated our lives beyond what we should.   How many of you have restocked your pantry simply because you read or heard about a new way of eating that is guaranteed to change your life ?   How many of you have felt your kitchen was no longer functional because it was called "outdated" by the standards set forth by a store, a television show or a magazine photo ?   Think back to your great grandmother, did she ever consider having her kitchen done over every 10 years and get rid of a stove or counter tops because they looked "outdated" ?  Was her cooking inferior to yours because she didn't have an all stainless kitchen ?  We have simply complicated our lives and spent way too much money by the dictates of all the latest fads.  My fancy new drapes have not changed my life in one single way, other than make me worry that the wood stove may get some soot on them this winter.  I hate to take them down for the winter, since we spent so much money on them, but I sure don't want to have to have them dry cleaned !  Makes me wish for my home made, machine washable curtains once again.  I feel overloaded this week regarding what the healthiest diet for my family is.  Came to a conclusion last night.  Its really quite simple.  Eat good food, food as grown, Michael Pollan style eating and exercise like they did back in the olden days, with purpose.  Walk a lot, work a lot in the garden and pray without ceasing for a life pleasing to God.