We are the most informed generation and have access to almost everything ‘material’. We have so many options from which we can choose that often we forget the value these things are supposed to add to our lives. To quote lines from one of my favorite movies Fight Club, ’Advertising has had us chasing cars and clothes, working jobs we hate so that we can buy shit we don’t need’. We are subscribed to the idea that a good life is found in accumulating things and that happiness can be found in stores.
This passion to consume is detrimental to our consciousness and can keep us from leading truly fulfilling lives. To live a life marked by clarity, purpose, and intention is Minimalism. At the core, Minimalism is the intentional promotion of things we value the most and the removal of everything that distracts us from it. It opens new avenues for people to seek happiness from something other than consuming. It is a way of life that enables you to consume less but enjoy more. Minimalism is not against consumerism, it is against wasteful consumerism; it allows you to recognize the clutter of this modern life and frees us from this modern hysteria to live faster. It invites you to live a life intentionally without the things you really don’t need.
Most people live life differently around their family, coworkers, and friends, Minimalism is a way of life that is simple and united and it eliminates the element of duplicity from our lives. But let’s not confuse it with monk-like sterile life which is absolutely not the case. There are no set of rules, there is no one way to live but to follow one general principle – to live without too many unnecessary possessions, distractions, clutter or waste and live a frugal, debt-free, sustainable natural life.
A minimalist life for me will be the one where I do some introspection and figure out what’s important to me and what adds value to my life. I am a motorcycle enthusiast and I am a proud owner of a Royal Enfield Thunderbird 350. I take good care of it and ride with my friends. It’s something I enjoy doing very much, I feel it adds value to my life. But if I were to own a fleet of motorcycles, which by the way, will be awesome but not practical – I would not be able to enjoy them or have the attachment that I now share with my motorcycle. It would be wasteful, expensive and honestly, not as enjoyable. I am against wasteful consumerism.
Eliminate the clutter, you know what they are. Your life will be much easier and less expensive and you will be able to focus more on the things that matter. And be happy.