By Arya Vinu, Grade 12
Minimalism. The word has been thrown around in the media as an alternative to the seductive culture of consumerism. Its often thought of as a bland, frugal lifestyle with its followers living in dull apartments, wearing neutral clothes and spending thousand buying “no-makeup” makeup products. Contrary to popular belief, minimalism is actually whatever you want it to be. It is guided by one philosophy : "Less is more". The lesser you define yourself by material possessions, the more unburdened and human you become. It allows you to focus more on what you need and what you love.
Modern living has completely revolutionised consumerism, capitalising on the "more is better" concept. What you buy, what you own, is who you are, it defines you. Approximately 1.7 billion people worldwide now belong to the "consumer class"—the group of people characterized by diets of highly processed food, desire for bigger houses, more and bigger cars, higher levels of debt, and lifestyles devoted to the accumulation of non-essential goods.
Say your house is burning down. You have a chance to risk a few burns to save an autographed possession from your role model commemorating a huge milestone in your life, or to run out before getting caught in the fire. Would you run out or would you think twice about saving such a prized memento? This is where the dilemma between minimalism and materialism comes in. In a materialist state of mind, you would hold the memento as that achievement in your life, not the achievement itself, hence making it worth more than a few burns. Isn't that everyone? In a minimalist state of mind, your successes and your individuality go beyond an object, IT does not define what you have done, YOU as a person do.
The truth is, the more things we buy, the more we accumulate and that handbag or those shoes you bought just because they were on sale don’t contribute to your happiness, instead, they become clutter. And more often than not, too much clutter actually depreciates your mental health and makes you feel overwhelmed rather than rich. This shows the role consumerism plays in our lives, so much so that they ARE our lives. Minimalism simply seeks to minimize that clutter.
A common misconception about minimalism is the expectation to rid yourself of any product bought by desire rather than need. There is nothing wrong in buying what you want, however luxurious or expensive. It is what the possession means to you that matters. It isn’t about the price of the items but rather the value of the item.
This isn’t a one-time declutter of your house, this is a change in your mindset, a change in your consumption. You must ask yourself “Is this something that will bring me joy?”, “Is this something I need in my house?”
Minimalism gives us a freedom to expect nothing and depend on nothing. It helps you to focus on what is important and essential to your life. So no, it doesn't mean you have to give up all your possessions, it means you simply give up the power it holds over you. It is not simply an aesthetic, it’s a philosophy you live your life with.
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