Me being minimalist. Floating above a lake, powered by my free thoughts and USB 2.0
Yes I know, minimalism is (was) the new black, but bear with me. Our good friend minimalism has copped a bashing of late, it’s become a fad, yesterday’s news, a silly phase that will have us all regretting throwing out Nan’s favourite heirloom teapot. Let’s spend some time to look at minimalism for what it really is.
For those of us who haven’t flew over the minimalism cuckoo nest yet, the term conjures up ideas of visual art, music, architectural design and some literature. For those of us who have tried to sell our redundant family members on eBay or give them away at a garage sale, minimalism is a combination of a lifestyle (temporary or permanent, to be confirmed) and a mindset.
Let’s explore the history of minimalism and visit fellow minimalists around the world, paying tribute to famous minimalist pioneers and get an understanding that you weren’t the first peanut to count all of the possessions you own and publish a list on the world wide web. This essay is non-fiction, entirely factual2 and countless hours were spent on research2. Don’t shoot the messenger, or blame minimalism, it’s not our intention to step on anyone’s vibram toes3.
Q: How many minimalists does it take to change a light bulb? A: None, minimalists only own 100 things, none of which are light bulbs.
The Three Levels of Minimalism
Lifestyle minimalism was invented by Sebastian Minimalist in 1947 as a way to justify clearing out his family home of any unnecessary items and free up his time by removing any excessive commitments he had on the weekend. Today minimalism broadly represents living with intent4, taking a look at your possessions, commitments, bills, etc.. and asking if you really need them, are they a blessing or a burden? Minimalism could be considered anti-consumerist, pro-bohemian, liberating or a precursor to losing your mind.
The de-cluttering path to owning nothing but a loin-cloth to cover your nether regions while spending your days gallivanting through a forest begins getting rid of your junk, your full collection of N-sync albums from the late 90’s (no, they won’t be worth something one day), clearing out your closet of the +20 pairs of shoes and paring down the wardrobe. You get the idea, this is the ‘Material’ form of minimalism, or for all of us clever wordsmiths, your stuff.
If you’re not slightly obsessive compulsive and that stack of coasters on the coffee table doesn’t give you minimalism anxiety you’ll stop at de-cluttering your stuff. Once you dive a little deeper there’s a lot more you can negate, things that don’t take up any room in the closet but ultimately rob you of time (via work, to pay for them). Nonphysical minimalism – Gym memberships, cable TV subscriptions, magazines, unnecessary bills, credit debt, gigabytes. None of these things will ruin the aesthetic of your french chic minimalist apartment but could still be considered unnecessary.
“Behind every great minimalist is a storage garage at their parent’s house” – Anonymous
If you decide to embark on the journey over the cuckoo’s nest then it’s on to spiritual/philosophical minimalism. (Philosophy? Too much! You can skip this paragraph and scroll down to the Famous Minimalists Through the Ages) Hopefully spending a couple of weekends donating your old clothes, cleaning out the kitchen cupboards, cancelling your cable TV etc.. kind of made you realise all of the money wasted on consumer junk? Our good friend minimalism somehow meanders his way into the way you think, how you perceive consumerism, gift-giving holidays, your values towards time & work and everything in between. Next stop, a psychiatrist.
Søren Aabye Kierkegaard – “Purity of heart is to will one thing.” – Philosophical Minimalism
The Extremes of ‘isms
Anything in moderation, or so the saying goes. Most things that appear sound and logical in theory have a clever knack of getting blown out of the water when interpreted and taken to their extremes. Catholicism, Capitalism & Communism anyone?
Minimalism treads this well worn path; sell everything you own, quit your job, pack everything you own into a rucksack, go barefoot and eat only leaves. Wait, moderation, of course. Let’s take a break to look at one fantastic ‘ism that can go terribly pear shaped and compare it with our good friend.
“A popular habit of the extreme mmnlst is to negate vowels from words. Not only is this rdcls but it gts fckng cnfsng.” – Anonymous
Alcoholism is “willing one thing” (booze); recovery is “cluttering” one’s life with relationships, discipline, meetings, bill-paying, eating appropriately, friendship, service. How cluttered! Alcoholics are far better minimalists than recovering alcoholics. Radical minimalism and desperate alcoholism get along great. So when you’ve rid yourself of all of the unnecessary, the family comes to visit and they have to sit on your lounge room floor on a mattress, because you’ve decided that it’s your all purpose bed/couch/dining chair, you may as well be in a dive bar, sucking the last drops from the sauce bottle.5
“All I need is booze; I will have a garage sale and buy booze; I will divorce my wife so I can practice drinking my craft beer”
The severity of your alcoholism (minimalism) could be thought of as proportional to the problems you’re drinking away or escaping from, just how much of an auto-pilot consumerist are you trying to repent for? (Extreme) minimalism like any other movement has a trajectory. It is already (hopefully) dying.
Famous Minimalists Through the Ages6
The following A-list of minimalist may not have realised it at the time, but they were the true pioneers of the de-clutter.
Jesus Christ – Holy Man, healer, fictitious character or historical relic? Regardless, Jesus said a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions. And He said it is more blessed to give than to receive. “The kingdom of heaven is like a merchant who sells everything to get a pearl of great price.”
Coco Chanel – Gabrielle Bonheur “Coco” Chanel was a pioneering French fashion designer whose modernist thought, menswear-inspired fashions, and pursuit of simplicity made her an important figure in 20th-century fashion. Her understated, clean & minimalist designs are a far cry from the CC logos you see today.
Hannibal Lecter M.D. – Lecter was a a brilliant psychiatrist and cannibalistic serial killer, an anthropology-minimalist, being known to remove extraneous body parts from himself and others. Lecter was known to finish meals by beating his dinner guests and removing their faces. He’s become famous in minimalist circles for untethering people from their faces.
Ted Kaczynski & Timothy McVeigh – Kaczynski & McVeigh followed similar paths and were pioneers of the urbanist/metropolitan minimalist movement. In 1971, Kaczynski moved to a remote cabin without electricity or running water, in Lincoln, Montana, where he lived as a recluse while learning survival skills in an attempt to become self-sufficient. He decided to start a bombing campaign after watching the wilderness around his home being destroyed by development. Both Kaczynski & McVeigh chose a life of radical minimalism to focus on their craft (making bombs and blowing up US suburban centers).
Q: Why did the minimalist cross the road? A: To find their purpose, inner fulfilment & own sense of self-importance.
Abba Paul – A.P. lived as a lonely monk in the mount of “Ansana” of the historical ancient city of “Ansana”, currently in the “Minya” governorate of Egypt. Abba Paul was laughed at by his consumerist friends because he had 0 things. He’d weave palm baskets (to work/art), then burn them at the end of a season. He begged for sustenance, and lived on palm figs and water. Abba Paul is considered the Patron Saint of Minimalism.
Mary Poppins – Only kidding, did you see how much stuff she took out of her overnight bag? Honestly, if you’re carrying around a coat stand in your handbag, you’re clearly not a mnmlst.
Ghandi – Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was the political and ideological leader of India during the Indian independence movement. Gandhi strove to practice non-violence and truth in all situations, and advocated that others do the same. He lived modestly in a self-sufficient residential community and wore the traditional Indian dhoti and shawl, woven with yarn he had hand spun on a charkha. He ate simple vegetarian food, and also undertook long fasts as means of both self-purification and social protest. Ghandi was a violent minimalist – he almost killed himself with minimalism (ostensibly) committing violence against the British imperial rule in India.
Thoreau – Of course no who’s who of minimalism can be complete without Mr Walden Pond himself. A small chapter of ‘Walden’ that didn’t make the final print was titled – “The Art of Dining and Bathing at the family Estate Every Sunday but Failing to Write About it in Your Book”…
Origen of Alexandria – Origen was a theologian, philosopher, and devoted Christian of the Alexandrian school. He famously castrated himself so he could tutor women without suspicion, and he risked his life countless times in encouraging martyrs. He himself was tortured under Decius as an old man and died a short time later. Origen’s controversial views on the pre-existence of souls, the ultimate salvation of all beings and other topics eventually caused him to be labeled a heretic, yet his teachings were highly influential and today he is regarded as one of the most important early church fathers. During his minimalism de-clutter phase Origen untethered from one of his testicles, radical minimalism at its finest. He was indeed, an odd-ball.
“I just can’t get enough minimalism!” – Anonymous
Maslow’s Heirarchy of Minimalism6
Hopefully you’re familiar with Maslow’s Heirarchy of Needs? Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs is a theory in psychology, proposed by Abraham Maslow in his 1943 paper ‘A Theory of Human Motivation’. Basically Maslow’s Heirarchy of needs is our food group style pyramid of needs, starting from the basics such as breathing, food, water etc. and scaling to our upper echelon of needs such as creativity, spontaneity, respect & achievement.
A little known fact is that while Abraham Maslow’s Heirarchy of Needs was a best-seller and made the front page of the local newspapers, his lesser known Heirarchy of Minimalism remained hidden away in obscurity until today. Maslow’s Heirarchy of Minimalism is a helpful visual guide to keep your minimalism in check, presented for you below:
A Minimalist? How about a Qualitarian or Maximalist?
Not to be confused with a dietary Qualitarian (someone who prides themselves on eating organic food of the best quality) or to be misread as a Marximalist, a person advocating a system of socialism of public ownership. I’m not talking about a flash-mob of communist vegetarians here. I’m referring to a new breed of minimalists, ‘Quality’ or ‘Maximalism’ is an inevitable arrival point once you’ve de-cluttered your wardrobe, cancelled your cable subscription and tried to sell grandma.
And empty void (wardrobe, social calendar, spare time) needs to be filled with quality. We’ve turned down the noise & the unnecessary excess to maximise the quality of what we can now do with our spare time.
A minimalist walks into a bar, but then gets refused entry, as a pair of nice shoes, collared shirt & pants aren’t included in their 47 things.
You’ve had a yard sale, there are only 4 plates, cups & bowls left in the kitchen cupboards & Gran’s out the door, now what?
Where to now? If you’re around levels 1 to 3 on Maslow’s Heirarchy of Minimalism you’re in the right place. Any higher and you can send the hate mail here. We’ve established that some of the true icons of the past were in fact minimalists at heart. I’d like to invite us all to participate in a mnmlst retreat, were we could spend our days barefoot running, practicing yoga and counting just how many items we packed to bring along with us. If you’re still after some minimalist enlightenment some popular titles that I’d recommend include:
- Pride & Pretentiousness
- How to Win Money & Alienate People
- One Flew Over the Minimalist’s Nest
- Why Pretention is More Valuable than Possession
References/Further Reading
- 6-pack abs photo courtesy of Colin Wright, www.exilelifestyle.com
- This essay isn’t ‘entirely’ factual, and countless hours weren’t spent on research.
- Vibrams are a smelly glove shoe. Once you’ve past level 5 on Maslow’s Heirarchy, I’ll let you in on the joke.
- http://www.becomingminimalist.com/2011/06/20/what-is-minimalism/
- An under-medicated book eating bar sinister humoured me with his assistance throughout this essay.
- Wikipedia & a bit of general fibbing on my part.
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