Jottings - Slice of life - 440 ( Minimalism - a few thoughts on the philosophy of simple living without the oppressive burden of accumulated things, and a Netflix documentary on the topic)
There is absolutely no doubt that the modern age is one of relentless consumerism. Never in the history of mankind has man had so many goods and services to choose from, and more importantly, delivered to one’s doorsteps with a click of a button. If 2020 has unequivocally proved anything at all, it is how much we depend upon Amazon for whatever we wish ( except human trafficking) and how irrelevant our brick and mortar stores are fast becoming. Nothing surprising about this state of affairs at all. This was the promise of capitalism at the turn of the century ( in fact from Adam smith’s time in the 18th century) that every want will find a manufacturer who will have the means to fulfill it, and not only that, each material good in demand, will find multiple manufacturers offering variants of the same product for the consumer to choose from. And as wants are regularly satisfied, new wants — perceived or real - will take their place — and the cycle will continue forever. Why else would Apple bring out a new phone each year or countless manufacturers talk about upgrades? Buying is also relatively easy in most countries today. Hard cash is not a requirement, as long there is a credit card in the wallet.
The result of this consumeristic spree, and the ability to buy at will, is the cluttering of our homes with all manner of things. In quick time, our homes become a repository of countless things that we really don't use or even have the need for. They lie around in cupboards, shelves, inside desks, under the bed, in the garage, and in suitcases stored away in the attic. Many of the things we buy are merely ornamental, fashion and season-specific, and in many cases — just a passing whim, nothing more. But once the goods come home, it doesn’t go out; they remain ossified in its appointed place gathering dust, eating away space, and creating pressure on the individual forcing them to live alongside the materiality they have surrounded themselves with. The living, breathing space dwindles, and we suffocate with our own hands. The biggest culprit in this binge is clothes. It is extraordinary how many pairs and varieties of dresses a family of three or four have in their cupboards. Nobody has the time or patience to wear all of them unless one is the show business. For most of us, three-fourths of our dresses simply languish in our wardrobes, getting old, going out of size, and mocking at us; but, still, it will remain hanging in there just because we don't like to “part” with our possessions. They become very personal, a part of ourselves. Our external clutter is more often than not, a reflection of the inner chaos and desire to hoard and possess.
For the last decade or so, there is a new movement called “minimalism” making its rounds. The idea is to de-clutter our living space ( the home), in the hope of creating more space for oneself — both physically and psychologically. The term “minimalism” as such originated in the arts — especially in music and painting — in the 1960s and ’70s. Art was stripped of superfluous or redundant material and expressed a central theme in full clarity. If you have heard Philip Glass’s compositions, you will know what minimalist music means — repetition of a single musical idea in a cyclical form. This art form was a rebel against the laborious and often overwhelming motifs that cluttered painting and music. Minimalism, therefore in our daily life, is a methodical attempt to reduce ones material belongings to the point we own only that which has immediate meaning and indispensable function in our day to day life.
Netflix has a new short documentary titled “Minimalists: Less is now” which showcases this idea well. It began streaming yesterday. Joshua Fields Millburn and Ryan Nicodemus - two pioneers of this movement explain their thinking behind this quantum leap into minimalism. They have curated website theminimalists.com, which went live nearly a decade ago, and it now has more than 20 million subscribers. The website has interesting and inspiring resources and podcasts on the subject. On their home page, there is a declaration in verse that encapsulates the central idea of this movement:
Simplicity is not a task—
minimalism is not a destination—
it’s everything that remains when you
let go of the attachment to every thing.
Minimalism is certainly not a new idea to the Eastern way of thinking. In fact, we have always insisted that material possessions shouldn’t take hold of our lives to the point we lose ourselves. One of my favorite verses in the Gita, and which I have quoted many times in my previous essays is worth quoting again:
ध्यायतो विषयान्पुंस: सङ्गस्तेषूपजायते |
सङ्गात्सञ्जायते काम: कामात्क्रोधोऽभिजायते ॥62॥
क्रोधाद्भवति सम्मोह: सम्मोहात्स्मृतिविभ्रम: |
स्मृतिभ्रंशाद् बुद्धिनाशो बुद्धिनाशात्प्रणश्यति ॥63॥
Here is a fresh translation of the verse in the context of minimalism ( what takes four lines in Sanskrit takes about a dozen in English. That's the beauty of Sanskrit)
Focussing our selfish attention on objects outside,
An overwhelming attachment to such objects takes over,
This suppurating attachment gradually transforms itself into a feverish obsession to own the other,
The sense of ownership, then, leads to anger, especially, when the attempt to possess is thwarted or inhibited,
The simmering anger implodes within and clouds the senses, impedes the clear perception of reality as it is,
This dichotomy in perception metamorphoses into a schizophrenic split in personality - the self and the other,
Such a duality saps the vitality to live in the moment, and contaminates the inner wisdom of the body and mind,
And when this happens — man dooms himself to live in the grip of a perpetual state of anxiety, insecurity, and fear of loss.
The common argument against minimalism is that it assumes reasonable material prosperity as a prerequisite. Can't argue with that! We cannot dispossess ourselves of things we don't have or never had. To that extent, Minimalism seems an elitist doctrine. Both Millburn and Ryan made enough money and acquired everything they wanted to, before choosing to relinquish them. So preaching it as a way of life for everyone maybe a little too harsh. Like everything else in life, minimalism emerges as part of an “S” curve. You start with nothing ( zero) and then start acquiring exponentially ( the line climbs up the Y-axis) and then our desire to buy more plateaus ( the line turned horizontal along the X-axis). It is at this point, we can actively think of giving away unnecessary things. Unless one is born with such profound wisdom, as some fortunate people have, it is difficult to adopt minimalism without having tasted materialism first.
Watch the documentary on Netflix, if you can, and request you to reflect, if you haven't explored the idea so far. It’s interesting.
God bless…
yours in mortality,
Bala
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