The benefits of minimalism cannot be overstated. It can help the environment by requiring and buying less stuff. It can help to declutter our home, which can support positive mental health. It can give a purpose in a rushed world.
In my project I call Social Benevolence, I say how we define ourselves can have profound impacts on our ethics. I argue that every action is a moral decision and the only logical choice is to better the world. Minimalism clearly fits within this frame of thinking, which is why I wanted to write a post for this newsletter.
The basic idea of minimalism seems simple on the surface, but it might just be one of the hardest things to achieve in earnest. In fact, I would recommend a path toward it. It can be religious where there are plenty of examples of people following a path of less to access spiritual awakening. It could also be a philosophical concept like stoicism that could help you to achieve minimalist thinking.
For any kind of lifestyle change, minimalism being one of the most disciplined, people must re-analyze who they are and how they define themselves. In fact, I would say go as far as introducing yourself as a minimalist, if that is the identity you choose. When you can introduce yourself with an identity to another, then you can access needed confidence to take the concept further.
The goal, from what I understand and I do accept correction, of minimalism is to reach clarity about what is important. Doing this through analyzing objects is powerful in our current materialistic society. It focuses the attention on the value of the object which requires understanding its history, meaning, and impermanence. Of course this doesn’t just apply to objects. You can also focus this attention on the self.
What am I doing, thinking, planning, feeling that comments on a minimal lifestyle? Doing less, or better yet, doing what really is important and matters I think is the goal. Declutter the schedule and you will find space to do the meaningful things in life. It doesn’t mean you will be any less busy. I mean you might see rest as productive as production.
In the end, it is about being content with life. Minimalism can be a powerful identity to clear the mind and center the soul.