Millburn J.F. - Essential: Essays by The Minimalists

Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.

Leonardo da Vinci

ESSENTIAL

CHAPTER ONE

Minimalism

INSIDE THE PRISON WALLS OF CONSUMERISM

Theres a shopping mall in San Diego that used to be a prison. Restored, repurposed, and redecorated, its hard to imagine this place once imprisoned hundreds of inmates.

One might argue, however, its a different kind of prison now: a voluntary incarceration, caged by the invisible walls of consumption.

This might sound hyperbolic, but its an apt analogy.

Consumption isnt the problem: compulsory consumption is. Weve trapped ourselves by thinking consumerism will make us happythat buying crap we dont need will somehow make us whole.

Weve gotten good at fooling ourselves, too. Weve overdecorated the jailhouse wallswalls weve built around ourselvesand weve made our cells so comfortable were terrified to leave: but a prison cell with a view is still a prison cell.

Perhaps theres a key to our escape.

WHAT IS MINIMALISM?

At first glance, people might think the point of minimalism is only to get rid of material possessions: Eliminating. Jettisoning. Extracting. Detaching. Decluttering. Paring down. Letting go.

Thats a mistake, though.

Removing the excess is an important part of the recipebut its just one ingredient. If were concerned solely with the stuff, then were missing the larger point.

Minimalists dont focus on having less, less, less. Rather, we focus on making room for more, more, more: more time, more passion, more experiences, more growth, more contribution, more contentmentand more freedom. It just so happens that clearing the clutter from lifes path helps us make that room.

Minimalism is the thing that gets us past the things so we can make room for lifes important thingswhich actually arent things at all.

There are many flavors of minimalism: a 20-year-old single guys minimalist lifestyle looks different from a 45-year-old mothers minimalist life. Even though everyone embraces minimalism differently, each path leads to the same place: a life with more meaning.

THE IRONY OF MINIMALISM

A word of warning as you consider simplifying your life: if you call yourself a minimalist, or if you tell people you are interested in minimalism, then everything you do will instantly be steeped in irony.

Oh, you drive a car? Thats not very minimalist of you!

Wait, you have more than one pair of shoes? Hypocrite!

You own a blowdryer? Phony!

What these people dont understand, however, is minimalism is not about deprivation: its about finding more value in the stuff you own. Minimalists do this by removing the superfluous, keeping only the possessions that serve a purpose or bring joy. Everything else goes by the wayside.

There is no Minimalist Rulebook: were all different. The things that add value to one persons life may not add value to yours. So hold on to that hair straightener, those colorful socks, that collection of angel statuettesbut only if they are appropriate for your life.

People will judge. Let them. Judgment is but a mirror reflecting the insecurities of the person whos doing the judging.

SIMPLE ISN'T RADICAL

Sometimes people avoid minimalism because the word itself sounds extreme, radical, subversive. Afraid of stepping outside cultural boundaries, these people avoid simplifying their lives because they dont want the label: minimalist.

If minimalism seems too austere, then perhaps you can re-label your flavor of simplification. May we suggest any of the following -isms:

Enoughism

Essentialism

Selectivism

Curationism

Naturalism

Stoicism

Epicureanism

Appropriatism

Simplism

Lessism

Practicalism

Livingwithinyourmeansism

Call it whatever you want: no matter which -ism you favor, the important part is it helps you live with intention.

IS MINIMALISM ONLY FOR SINGLE, RICH, WHITE GUYS?

Someone in Montreal asked us this question. Granted, she posited it more congenially than written above, but, restated this way, we get to the heart of the matter.

We wont bother detailing the many examples that immediately torpedo this assumptionour friend Leo Babauta and his six kids, Tammy Strobel and her tiny house, Patrick Rhone and his family, et al.none of whom are single, nor rich, nor white guys, and yet they all embrace a minimalist lifestyle. (Note: you can read more about minimalist families, including additional books and resources, at TheMinimalists.com/children.)

Lets look at the question from a broader perspective:

The Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that in todays economy its entirely possible for poor people to have much of the same material comfortscars, televisions, computers, smartphonesas more affluent people, yet be trapped in low-paying jobs with little prospect of improvement. In other words, rich people and poor people can both be oppressed by the possessions they desire. However, poor people are considerably more stifled because of their lesser prospect of improvement.

Perhaps minimalism is the prospect of improvement: whenever desire is greater than ones ability to attain, discontentment sets in. By mitigating our impulse to compulsively consume, however, we take back control of our desiresas well as our pocketbooks.

According to the New York Times, there is evidence that money relieves suffering in cases of true material need. But when money becomes an end in itself, it can bring misery, too. Once our basic human needs are met, money doesnt buy happinessand neither does poverty.

People with fewer resources, especially those with less money, can benefit most from minimalism: a minimalist lifestyle helps people determine what truly adds value to their lives.

This is even more important when our resources are limited: if we have less money, then we must be more intentional with how we spend it.

Simplification begets intentionality. Rich or poor, married or single, black or white, simplifying ones life can only benefit ones circumstances. The Stoics understood thisas did Thoreau, Gandhi, Jesus, and the Buddha.

It sure would be nice if everyone else did, too.

THE GOSPEL OF LESS

No, minimalism is not a religion.

Religion is a complicated and sensitive subject for many. Even though we dont typically speak or write about religion, its presence seems to loom over each event we host. Curiosity is natural, so its inevitable: people often approach us and say things like, Its wonderful to see two guys spreading Jesus Christs message. Which is usually followed by another person saying, Its great to see a couple Buddhists sharing their story. Or, Did you know Muhammad was the original minimalist?

In a well-written, but unfortunately titled, newspaper article in Tennessee, we were recently said to be spreading the gospel of less, the connotation of which is a bit troubling. Even more troubling was a radio hosts take in Oklahoma City when he referred to us as the L. Ron Hubbard of minimalism. (Thankfully he was joking.)

Whatever your religious beliefs, we have no spiritual advice for you. The beautiful thing about minimalism, though, is it works whether youre religious or not. We personally know minimalists who are Christian pastors, minimalists who are practicing Buddhists, minimalists who are atheists. We even know a minimalist rabbi. Because minimalism is a lifestyle that helps people question what things add value to their lives, it applies to any religionor no religion at all.

In fact, the two of us hold radically different religious beliefs. Our journeys toward simplicity, however, had nothing to do with religion; instead, it was a reaction to the discontentment we experienced after being steeped in consumerism for three decades.