“It is preoccupation with possession, more than anything else that prevents men from living freely and nobly.” Bertrand Russell
Minimalism is to collect less, possess only important things necessary for life and be happy without the fear of losing. Minimalist lifestyle is to reduce the material possessions and increase in other dimensions of life like happiness, confidence, decisiveness, and better life; KonMari’s method of minimizing in order to maximize.
KonMari’s book The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up was published in Japanese in 2010, and sold over 7 million copies worldwide. For her, it is important that de-cluttering does not revolve around questions of necessity but around personal feelings related to possessions. Minimalism is about to be happy and satisfied with less by rejecting the idea of possessing too much and consumerism. Minimalist lifestyle is to let go of things which no more serve you or depress you. If your possessions don’t make you happy then they are not worth keeping. Minimalism is not only about getting rid of unwanted material things but it includes relationships, people and situation which are toxic. Thus minimalism sets you free mentally as well.
“Consumerism is based on the illusion that you can fill spiritual or emotional emptiness with physical products.” Mokokoma Mokhonoana
Minimalism not only revolves around the necessity but also personal feelings related to possession. Living simply does not mean to live without a purpose. It’s about achieving your goals without distractions and fear. Minimalism sets you free to dream and achieve your goals. Being minimalist means to free yourself from extra burden and give more time to your purpose.
“Simplicity involves unburdening your life, and living more lightly with fewer distractions that interfere with a high quality life, as defined uniquely by each individual.” -Linda Breen Pierce
COVID-19 outbreak and resulting quarantine made us to rethink about our choices. We have been exploiting our resources since so long. It’s the right time to shift our lifestyle to minimalism. If we can survive a lockdown with less consumption, we can surely adapt a greener less polluted lifestyle for the betterment of our planet. We need to be more sustainable in our choices and less selfish. Alex Moxon who is a sustainability writer and minimalist writes,
“Minimalism is a way of life that focuses more on your needs and less on your wants by re-channeling your priorities towards your relationships, experiences and pastimes and away from unfulfilling and unsustainable patterns of consumption.”
With the advancement in technology, the adaptation of this lifestyle became much easier with smart and easy to carry devices. We can work from home now saving time, money and reducing the pollution burden on our environment. Living with only important but fewer possessions means living simply with less consumption of resources.
Minimalism is the simple, healthy and independent way of living with focusing less on your insignificant stuff and more on your capabilities. It is a creative way of being happy, satisfy and healthy. Be a minimalist to discover yourself and achieve your dreams creatively.
by: Ayesha Mushtaq
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