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Minimalism
How Less Could Actually Be Less
Here stand my six dictionaries, each one supporting the next. I never use them: I never pick them up to look up a particular word. Now that I think of it, I've probably only touched them when moving them out of the way from one shelve to the next - yes, that sounds about right. I'm pondering on whether I should keep them or throw them out. Curious, I take one - the one beside it falls over -thump- and open it. The inside cover reads: "The pen is mightier than the sword. - Dad," and the date. There's that concerning jolt of anticipation. I really want to keep it - so I really want to ditch it. It's this funny minimalist conundrum: the more I want to hold onto something, the more intense the high when letting go of it. The mere thought of that sweet release now raises my heartbeat. I slap close the cover and stack the books, all six of them. I let them sit there for a second, not questioning, but simply enjoying the anticipation; I then try to slide them into the garbage bag as casually as possible - as if it doesn't mean the slightest to me, these thirty-year-old dictionaries, this modest inheritance - but they're so heavy that I have to really go at it. They fall heavily. There it is. A warm glow radiates from the stomach outwards, my breath becomes deeper, more rythmic, and some knot in my stomach unties. I'm free.
Unsurprisingly, minimalism is quickly becoming a popular means of finding meaning. But it has some severe problems.
There's nothing wrong with downsizing, reducing one's footprint, decluttering, or re-organizing one's life. Throwing out your stuff is fine, and so is experimenting or trying to find peace of mind. I have no interest in attacking anyone, in critiquing your behaviour, or in passing judgement on minimalists in general. So I'll try to refrain from becoming reductive, and to keep my generalisations to a minimum.
Which leaves me with just the bare essentials to make my case. You, and myself. You, you who probably already know what minimalism is; you who probably have already formed an opinion of it, be it positive or negative; and I, who, for a brief second there, thought I might be a minimalist myself.
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Minimalism is actively working against itself
I believe minimalism is actively working against its own goals, however; and since I care about those goals [5], I have to care about minimalism and everyone who aspires to be a practicioner. In my opinion, minimalism is not merely inadequate for achieving its goals, but will, in the long term, diminish its own short-term gains. In short, I think minimalism won't bring us peace of mind, won't focus us, and it won't save the planet.
I'm not cynical, though. I think that all people that try to live intentionally can, and should be, successful - and they probably will be. Living intentionally, you will likely make a difference, be already making a difference. But I'm not sure whether minimalism promotes that intentionality as much as it proclaims to be doing. So let's see if we can focus in on that precise subject: intentionality. Let's get intentional about it for a moment, shall we?
Fact I:
Minimalism will improve most people's live in the short term
... and so will cocaine.
... and so will cocaine.
Minimalism will improve most people's live over the short term. It's a perfectly reasonable reaction to consumer society. Perhaps the minimalists are right about the need to radically reduce our consumption - meaningless consumption[1] in particular. They probably are.
[1]
✱ The apparal fashion industry is one of the most anxiety-driven, nerve-wrecking industries on the planet, and the second most environmentally-demanding one. Merely flipping through one of their diabolically-trivial torture titles - the catalogue - results in immediate existential dread.
I agree, I don't think it's desirable [2].
Inattentive minimalism may increase consumption
Throwing out your stuff may evoke arousal - it may also enhance mass consumerism in the long run. I doubt that throwing out perfectly good items that have already been produced, distributed, and purchased, really is good for the environment. At best, it doesn't do anything; at worst, the collection and destruction of your items actively damages the environment. As with anything, the answer is probably to be found somewhere in the middle; you'll now need new clothes sooner or later, and they will be produced for you. Throwing away anything will most certainly not benefit the environment [3].
If you want to rid yourself of balast without stressing the environment, make sure to donate or gift any items that are suitable for it.
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Please note:
I don't care - you do what you want.I'm no activist and also no debater. I'm just presenting my ideas to act as a counterweight of some sorts - just like minimalism acts as a counterweight to mass consumerism. I don't need to be right, and you don't have to agree. If you don't, please speak up! That's how ideas crystalise.
[3] Learning to consume less is beneficial
Of course, teaching yourself to live with less will post rewards over time. It will most likely result in less gros consumption over the course of your lifetime. But if you plan on being a minimalist to save money, and consume with a vengeance once you've built your fortune, I'm unsure whether it will net anywhere near the desired result.
Fact Ib:
But it will not improve people's lives in the long run
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Minimalism is a negative statement
Minimalism succesfully identifies there is something missing, but it doesn't explore what that missing thing is. It says that material possessions aren't a good path to fulfillment. It goes on to state that reducing material distractions will lead to more awareness of, and knowledge about the missing thing, but it doesn't show an actual path to meaning - it doesn't give any suggestions.
While I understand that minimalism is a working theory and nothing more, and that reality is a mess (I'm not much of an idealist), I have to point out that it doesn't address the root problem: the Void - the void that needs filling. Stopping one's shopping is a sound start. Similarly, I don't want to try fill this brand-new void with declutter days, throwaway Thursdays, or Marie Monday. In my own desire to feel meaningful, I've went on a throw-away-spree multiple times, tossing out all kinds of things I actually want or will need sometime in the future. And many minimalists have reported this insatiable addiction to getting rid of stuff.
Once you lose something that was meaningful to you, you leave yourself with a great big hole. Even if you find that your current means of meaning are actually undesirable*, you will need to replace it with something more meaningful. This means you'll now need to answer the ever-so-simple question: 'what is the meaning of life?'.[4] Failing to do so will leave you exposed to potential cynicism and even nihilism. In other words, if you don't answer tise question, the hole that needs filling, might swallow you whole.
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[4]
✱ A brief note on the meaning of life
If answering the meaning of life is a requirement for success, you are, of course, setting yourself up for failure. To be fair, you only have to find something that is slightly more meaningful than your previous filler.
Fact II:
Minimalism is actually improved materialism
Materialism means to have a deep appreciation of material things. What we traditionally view as 'materialists', are in fact nothing of the kind. These mass-consumers don't appreciate the stuff they buy; there's no attachment going on there; I think they actually value most of it as being crap - as indicated by the amount of waiste they produce. True attachment finds it hard to produce any waiste whatsoever. If they are attached to anything, it must be with the act of buying itself.
Why else does one favour bargains, cheap plastics, and discounts over durable, valuable and guaranteed goods? The answer is not, as most would tell you, to maximize the amount we're buying. It's to maximize the number of transactions. Price only matters since the moneypile dictates the amount of buying that is to be done - which is, in the end, what really matters.
Real materialists would much rather buy the best they can afford, the most beautiful, the most premium. They will even sacrifice their ability to purchase other goods - they'd much rather buy one beautiful item over a bunch of ill-looking disposible ones.
Our minimalist now increasingly starts looking like a true and tried materialst. The minimalist doesn't hate the mass-consumer and their supposed materialism - he merely wishes they'd be better at the game.
Fact III:
Owning less increases attachment
Having less increases the perceived value of what you do have, since there's will be more focus on the little you do have. Of course, there are practical benefits to owning less in the short term, and I'm happily referring you to footnote [3] for that explanation.
The Purchasing Process
I believe a minimalist will spend more time researching, considering, thinking and pondering about his or her purchases. Of course, this is an integral part of living intentionally. But it's also a manifestation of that implicit materialism I've noted before. By owning little, you may actually care more about what you do own - and buy.
I think that fundamentally, this is merely a semantic discussion on the definitions of minimalism and materialism, and I think that for the scope of this piece, we have touched on it sufficiently. I'm not going to hold minimalism accountable for being ill-defined; I just thought it to be important to be aware that minimalism is a deeper shade of materialism, and that it promotes caring more, not less, about your possessions.
Fact IV:
The Conformity of Minimalism
When I tried my hand at minimalism, I found it easy to trade what is fundamentally a spiritual goal, with a lesser, materialist goal, which is achieving the 'minimalist aesthetic'. Once you've made this silent transition, you will face all sorts of minimalist-induced trouble.
Understanding minimalism as an interior design style isn't wrong -
However, if you've set out to enrich your life, beware. Choosing form over function can be satisfying, but will also leave you clueless as to what your actual days look like [6].
As with taking anything to its extreme, taking minimalism at face value, - chasing its aesthetics instead of its potential spiritual benefits - may very well result in becoming a conformist in your own way. Minimalist-conformists are quick to turn "I'm a minimalist" into its own kind of rat race. A keeping up with the Jonesses' turned on its head - where it becomes a race of doing with less, instead of a race of having more.
And so, without noticing, it becomes just another hunt, only now, the hunt for transience, for material indifference.
Fact V:
Minimalism promotes compulsivity
The minimalist aesthetic can only be achieved through strict compartmentalization. This means you'll have to clean up everything everytime you are done with a particular task. If you don't, the only thing your completely empty room will do for you, is emphasize your mess.
Having to frantically clean up after yourself will promote any compulsive tendencies you might have, as is custom to those attracted to the minimalist aesthetic, I imagine.
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The pursuit of order over chaos
If becoming a minimalist summons a vision of clinically-white rooms, owning one of each and ordered drawers, you could argue you're becoming one to clean up your room.