Simplicity means being humble and natural. It also means being happy with what you have, without wanting something more all the time.

A simple person depends on very few things to be happy.

Simplicity in food – Simple food is healthy food. Rich, spicy food leads to many diseases

Simplicity in dress – Simple clean clothes are better than fancy ones. Dress neatly and well in comfortable clothes for the occasion.

Greatness is not in what you wear and what you own. It is in the kind of person you are.

Many great men and women dressed in a simple manner and were modest in their behaviour.

Gandhiji led a very simple life, wearing only Khadi cloth that he wove himself. He became the Father of Nation because of his character and qualities of leadership. Even after he became important and famous, his daily life was as simple as ever. He would weave his own cloth, help in the kitchen, peel and chop vegetables and clean up and do simple jobs around the house whenever he could.

Story – The ornament of Simplicity

Here is an incident in the life of Michael Faraday, the great scientist who invented the dynamo. It is this force that converts magnetic force and generates electricity.

Michael Faraday was a very simple man. He dressed simply and spoke so humbly that no one ever knew what a brilliant scientist he was.

One day, an officer of the Royal Mint of England wanted to meet Faraday.

On reaching the building of Royal society, the officer was shown to Faraday’s lab.

When the officer went in, he saw an old man in a simple dress washing bottles in a basin. The smartly dressed officer asked him, “Are you the watchman here?” “Yes” said the old man. The officer asked the old man a few questions about his wages and his work, to which the latter replied politely. Finally, the officer casually asked the old man his name.

“They call me Michael Faraday,” said the old man. The officer was full of apologies, but Faraday was not at all offended by all this. The officer thought to himself, “How simple this great man is! Or, is he even greater because he is so simple?”

Activity

Simplicity can be associated with many other qualities. Circle the qualities you think go with simplicity.

• Jealous, independent, proud, modest, naughty, hardworking, lazy, humble, greedy. content, friendly Can you find a story of any other person who was simple and great