Labels, labels, labels. You call yourself a minimalist, or an essentialist and announce it to everyone when the time feels right? For so many these are just labels; like stickers put onto them by themselves. Why would they do that? Inclusion, self-importance or just following a trend.
It feels as if minimalism or essentialism are movements on the rise. For so many people, they hadn’t heard of the words until only a few years ago. The sudden popularity of figures like Marie Kondo who preach abandonment of objects that “don’t spark joy” seems to be a modern thing. That’s why so many theories pop up about what makes our modern lifestyles unique and requiring of a response such as minimalism & essentialism. While a lot of common sense can be found in these ideas, a little historical research into philosophical & religious movements tells us that while intensified in our age, Minimalism isn’t anything new.
“The secret of happiness, you see, is not found in seeking more, but in developing the capacity to enjoy less.”
Socrates, 469 BCE.
We can find quotes attributed to Socrates who lived roughly 2500 years ago. Similar quotes about being happy or at peace, regardless of our possessions can even be traced back to the Buddha who lived about 2600 years ago. So we can agree that the idea that minimalism & essentialism represent are not new. It seems that since humans have been able to own things of value and think about them, they have also struggled with letting them go. Aside from the nature of objects, how they are subject to wear and tear and ultimately need replacement, within our own nature also resides a drive for simplicity. That’s the drive behind a pursuit of minimalism & essentialism. Not the escape of having too much or the reaction to overwhelm from possession (despite what we rationalize and narrate for ourselves) but the innate drive for simplicity & purpose.
An equally fundamental and basic need for identity & preference for comfort pushes us to adopt all these labels. “I’m a minimalist also!” we say and feel part of a new wave and trend. Or maybe its going against the trend that helps us stand out and feel important. “I’m not like most people, I’m a minimalist”. In all these cases, our innate drives and tendencies lead us to a focus on priorities and what matters and with it, an abandonment of what truly does not matter. We can label it as minimalism or essentialism all we want, ultimately it does not matter.
I want you to realize that the labels don’t matter. What you call yourself or think you are seen as, don’t matter; not nearly as much as what you do and how you actually live your life. Focus on the label and you’ll stay right there, with the label, at the surface. The only thing you lose is a purposeful and meaningful life. Think about your biggest fear. take your time and be honest with yourself. For most of us, the biggest fear, or a close second, is living an unfulfilled life. Dying without having done anything that mattered. Not having helped another, not having left some impression or given back to this beautiful world.
What can help to avoid this? A simple focus the purpose we will strive for. If you are not yet sure of your purpose, don’t worry. Deciding on a purpose for our life is a topic for another day so I briefly put: many simply do what feels right and others chose directions they want to explore; that’s it, that’s what we retrospectively call purpose. Now, going back to the main topic, we need to know the direction and step towards it. We will never move towards anything if we stay and shout “I have a direction!”. No one ever reached a result by announcing it.
How do we focus on our purpose or direction? By looking at all we have, objects, tendencies and relations, and evaluating them as meaningful or not. Be honest, be fair and mostly, be kind to yourself as some of these decisions might be difficult. Then, be aware that talking and taking action are not only different but have almost opposite effects. Being a minimalist does not matter, letting go of what isn’t meaningful for your life is what matters. This is what it means to actually be a minimalist.
One last thing, you’ll also need to let go of being satisfied with superficial appreciation by others who don’t really care for you. recognize that being included in a group of minimalists matters much less that being happy and proud of the way you are living your life.
Orange Stoic 