miss minimalist

Enlightenment

One of the reasons I love writing this blog are the comments I get from my readers. They’re a wonderful source of inspiration, and a great opportunity to learn how others incorporate minimalist principles into their lives.

Yesterday, I was thrilled to receive an incredibly insightful comment on one of my older posts. I know that many of you do not receive the RSS Comments feed (you can subscribe by clicking this link), and would likely never see it. Therefore, I’ve decided to highlight it in today’s post, as I want to make sure that nobody misses it.

I think this comment beautifully expresses the essence of minimalist living, and can serve as inspiration to us all.

Jason Edwards writes:

Dear Miss Minimalist,

I have found your site interesting and it is excellent that you are spreading the message of simplicity, which is an important message to pass on to others. By living simply we have a positive effect on the planet. Having few possessions and only accumulating what is necessary saves the planets resources.

I can carry everything I own. I have a few changes of clothing, laptop, two pots, bowl, spork, futon and flask. I like sitting on the floor to eat and eating fruits, nuts, vegetables, and rice (vegan diet) .I like to eat food as it is, so I can taste the varying flavours without smothering food with sauces, spices, and manufactured sugars. I am not concerned with eating something different everyday and can quite happily eat oats in the morning, rice and chickpeas for lunch and a big bowl of vegetables in the evening for months. Many indigenous tribes in the Amazon eat the same staple foods on a daily bases and before air travel most people in the world ate local staples. I think people have become used to having so many choices be it food or possessions, that it distracts them from the simple things and experiences like tasting the flavour of a nut without covering it with salt.

The nice thing about a bare room is that you begin to notice the space around you in a physical sense and you begin to notice other things like the changing sunlight during the day. Your window becomes like a landscape painting where you notice the changing colours of the flora. Many possessions tend to tie one down mentally and physically- seeing to much permanence in inanimate objects rather than being aware of the vitality of the outside world of nature. I think it also tends to make people more detached from nature and they forget how dependant we are on nature for our survival. They forget to make the connection between a table and a tree or a piece of metal with the hard work of mining it and the resultant effect it may have on ecology. Things are taken for granted and it is assumed that nature has an endless supply of resources. When you own just a few things these things are valued and have more meaning.

Every time we go out and buy something new we take from nature. If we live simply with few things and don’t accumulate anything we do not need it saves time, money, stress, and the planet without having to do very much.

Industrialization has taught many to seek experience through objectifying experience. A simple example is photography, a useful medium in one sense but a burden in another. Photography is a good medium for communicating an idea or recording an important event, however it can also stop us from experiencing events fully because we are so caught up in objectifying an experience through a photo rather than using our other senses like smell or our ability to transfer an experience to others orally by telling a story.

We in developed countries can make the choice to live simply to help others in developing countries so they can also have the choice to decide how to shape their lives. This website is excellent and I will also spread the word by creating further links to create and encourage a larger community of people to live simply who I hope will do the same.

P.S Don’t feel to burdened by aesthetics. I had the same problem while I was at art school.I would spend a great deal of time looking for the perfect second hand minimalist table or lamp shade, but then I realized the most elegant thing is to own nothing.

Jason, thank you so much for taking the time to write such a thought-provoking comment! It made my day, and reminded me of how wonderful it is to follow a minimalist path. As you point out, minimalism not only helps us live more mindfully; it also helps us conserve the resources of our planet, and protects the interests of those in developing countries. It brings to mind the famous quote by Gandhi: “Live simply so that others may simply live.”

I particularly love the final line: “…I realized the most elegant thing is to own nothing.” What a beautiful summary of minimalist philosophy!

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Today I’d like to share one of my favorite quotes, from Henry Thoreau’s Walden:

“It is desirable that a man […] live in all respects so compactly and preparedly that, if an enemy take the town, he can, like the old philosopher, walk out the gate empty-handed without anxiety.”

I’ve often wondered, if the place I live was suddenly struck by political unrest or natural disaster, could I walk out the door and leave everything behind?

Ten years ago, I might have found this difficult. I was in a more “accumulative” phase of my life, building a household as a young adult. I put a great deal of thought into each purchase, expressing my identity, in some respects, through my choice of clothing, housewares, furniture, and décor. I appreciated aesthetics and good design, and hunted down unique and one-of-a-kind “treasures” to own. Walking away from it all would have been at least mildly distressing.

After a decade of decluttering, purging, and practicing a minimalist lifestyle, I’ve become significantly less attached to my possessions. I own very little, and actually take pains to avoid acquiring anything too expensive, precious, or sentimental. I still appreciate art and design, but I’d rather meet my needs with things that are “good enough,” than invest in pieces I’ll feel obligated to keep the rest of my life.

I’m often reminded of this quote when I hear news reports of forced evacuations due to hurricanes or forest fires. There are often those who stay behind to “defend” or “protect” their homesteads, risking their own lives in order to do so. I, on the other hand, would be the first one out of there and headed to safety!

I wouldn’t give a second thought to most of the stuff I own, and the only possession I’d have difficulty leaving behind is my laptop. However, my distress would be caused by losing the information, not the device itself. Therefore, I back up essential data to both physical media and the cloud, so that the information exists independent of the hardware. Because everything with “memories” is digitized — photographs, letters, postcards, etc. — I don’t have photo albums or sentimental items that would be heartbreaking to lose.

In general, all the “things” in my life can be replaced; and in some cases, I may not even bother to replace them.

I’ve been on my minimalist journey for awhile, some years making more progress than others, but generally continuing on the same path. My latest move (from the US to the UK) was immensely valuable in “releasing” me from my stuff, both physically and mentally.

I’ve pondered the above quote from Walden for years, holding it up as an ideal to which to aspire. I’m thrilled to finally be able to say, and know in my heart to be true, YES, if the circumstances warranted, I could now walk out the gate, empty-handed without anxiety.

What about you? Could you leave it all behind? Is there anything in particular you couldn’t bear to lose?

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