Minimalism…

A friend posted an article online about minimalism and the logical sense it made (for them). My thoughts were as follows:

I completely agree that a surplus of stuff for stuff’s sake is excessive, unnecessary and a drain on resources (personal and the earth’s). There is a need though to recognise that there are a multitude of reasons for this phenomena.

While online shopping, ease, and access to consumer society are some of the reasons, they are not wholly responsible.

A society built not only on capitalism but on social appearance (see concepts such as conspicuous consumption) are partly to blame.

The ease of instant gratification and on-demand culture also have a role. This becomes part of a bigger culture of interacting in the world, saving up for items, valuing purchases etc. In a disposable economy it is hard to teach values of repair and mend when it is ultimately financially cheaper (note, I do not say environmentally or ethically cheaper) and faster to replace an item rather than repair.

This goes deeper than stating people are too concerned with buying things. There are very good reasons people hoard or are sentimentally attached to items. To purchase an excess of new items is not the same as to say that owning ‘stuff’ is good or bad.

I feel it is flippant to disregard the multifaceted reasons why someone has accumulated things and to assume that minimalist culture is a better/healthier/worthier way of living. Each to their own after all.

I have disposed of things that I’ve later regretted getting rid of. Just as there are items I’ve had for so many years that I cannot recall why I own them. We have to reach a point where we feel that for a length of time we have no longer needed an item or wanted it, before we pass it on. To do so in haste of a present whim is dangerous for our future selves and memories, and therefore potentially reckless.

Time is not necessarily a clear evolving route – our feelings and path are often set back and forth. If we are reckless with our memories, and the items that relate to them, I fear we are reckless also with our selves – past, present and future.