The world around us, our schools, businesses, governments, parents, they all us teach us how we need to have more, achieve more, be more. Minimalism teaches us how to have enough.
What is enough?
It is a state of being when we feel contentment with what is, with what we have. In a way, it is not very different from the lofty ideas of enlightenment or happiness, ideas of being present and happy here and now.
Minimalism is not anything new. The Greek philosophers, Japanese Zen masters, Chinese Taoist hermits, and many, many others have been practicing minimalism since the times forgotten. Jesus, Buddha, Gandhi, they all understood the limitations of things.
In the world of materialism and common mindless consumption, the idea of minimalism is a counterbalance to excess.
To have enough or to be enough has been a goal pursued by many. In minimalism, contrary to other approaches, enough is sought by subtracting rather than adding. Letting go rather than accumulating. Appreciating the “haves” rather than craving the “have nots”.
When we realize what we really need – we realize what is enough for us.
When you realize that there is nothing lacking, the whole world belongs to you
– Lao Tzu
Many types of Buddhist practices emphasize the importance of being present in the moment, aware and mindful of what we are doing.
Minimalism shares the same desire to be more mindful of our real needs for possessions, achievements, and many more.
When we simply react to the world around us, it is often an unconscious or undesirable reaction. A result of previous experiences, past conditioning or a formed habit.
On the material plane, we happen to react to peer pressure or marketing suggestions and buy more things in hopes that they will bring us joy and happiness.
While things can do that, it is not a very long lasting feeling. Because we want to experience the feeling again, we end up buying more and more. As a result, we get more conditioned, our reward system down-regulates and we need to do it even more often, feeling progressively less pleasure. Not to mention that our stuff quickly accumulates. It is a vicious circle that slowly burns out our joy of life.
So, instead of investing our hopes for contentment in yet another toy we would like to have, why don’t we start the process of elimination to discover that we don’t really need much to feel satisfied with life. Re-discovering a long forgotten hobby, simple interactions with other people and nature can be as rewarding and much longer lasting means of finding the elusive happiness.
Do YOU enjoy every day appreciating its gifts and remembering its transience?
