Minimalism:How do you do it?

This sounds really stupid, but are there any guidelines to being a minimalist? Like, where is the line drawn that seprerates a minimalist and a normal person? Can I have a computer and other modern items, and stay a minimalist? Like, can I have my computer, my fridge and an instrument? Also, what do you do about books and music and stuff? Do you go without, or to you read a book and give it away or what?

 

I don't think there are any hard and fast rules. Mostly depends on perspective. Many of my friends call me a minimalist but I know I have a ton of "stuff"


Probably the best way to minimalise your possesions is to focus on function. If something you own does not serve a purpose or have a function, then get rid of it. Give it to someone who likes to own "stuff" Then look at all of the possesions you have left and figure out which ones are redundant. Give those to a charity. Entertainment product are a big waste of space. Most of them are very seldom used and you keep them 'cause you might feel like playing with them someday. If your entertainment is not constructive find something else to do. Learn an instrument, excercise, interact with other people, learn something that you always were curious about, persue hobbies that develop useful skills.

Like I said, there are no hard and fast rules and I am not really a true minimalist. But maybe my thoughts helped.

 

yeh, i'll second that, function and constructiveness.
First thing to go is the TV!!
My minimalism- or rather;'anti-wastefull-consumerism' was born out of necessity since I travel around. I can now get everything I own into two (large) bags.
I have cheated when it comes to books. There were some ones I couldn't part with and are in storage at my grandmother's.
As for CDs. I've thrown away all the cases and put them into a multi-holder-wallet thingy.
When it comes to clothes it helps if you don't give a damn about fashion, which I don't, so that's taken care of.
The lack of 'stuff' frees you up for so many things. One can enjoy life much more and do what you want to do almost as soon as you think of doing it.

~

 

Clothing and shelter are not luxuries. It's very easy to die of exposure, ESPECIALLY if you're naked. Even in temperate climates. They say the first thing to do if you're lost in the wild is make a shelter, because that's the number one reason of death for those lost in the wild.

That said, expensive and excessive clothing is a luxury, as is a house. All you need is a lean-to, tent, or something else small to keep the elements away.

 

A good way of becoming a minimalist is to buy simply what you need. Unfortunately, I haven't always done that (recently, I went on a DVD buying splurge), but I've become better at that.

 

forget the labels.
some ideas though would be. dont buy anything, dont need anything. you can have things but the truth of it is, is that your possesion will begin to possess you. for example, if owning something keeps you from doing what you wantto do. or if your obbsesion with your computer keeps you form living life.

 

True that. I think it's Ani DeFranco, could be wrong tho.

 

"Clothing is indeed a luxery. No one should be living where the climate can kill them unless they wrap their bodies in the skin of other animals or some strange fabric and build fire and shelter; no other animal on this planet does that.

Humans are perverted. In our natural environment we don't need clothing and shelter."

Where exactly would this "natural environment" be, and how would we fit 6 billion of us into it?

We evolved out of our old "clothes" that is why we had to wear other animals furs to survive. I firmly support nudism, since I am one, but the fact is, we are at the mercy of nature, so we have to do what we can to compromise. Its adaptation.

If you put a polar bear in the desert, best belive he would shave if he could.

My "natural environment" is high up mountains with cold weather, hence my barrel chest, broad short body, and huge beard. But you better believe i should cover in the winter, cause my body fur has its limits.
That is what my ancestors adapted to.

But as far as a one natural environment, its not there.

Besides, even wild animals have the sense to den up and not sleep in the rain.

 

"I want dredlocks. How do you make dredlocks, so I can tell my buddy how to give them to me when my hair is long enough"







Oh dear oh dear.......Dreadlocks are beautiful, I agree. It is the oldest hairstyle of man kind. You really don't have to do anything to get dreads, you just stop caring so much about every little strand of hair on your head, and stop combing your hair. Wash it , fine, but no combing. It took mine about a year and a half to form the first one....but once they form, it's like theya re a gift from the great spirit, they form individually, and uniquely.....I know you might want to go out and put wax in your hair or some other concoction produced bysome guy that thought to himself, "I can make a lot of money of these suckers, they think dreads are cool".....I don't know, just live, just be, just let your hair do what it wants to do and I assure you it will dread, that's what our hair was meant to do. It's a beautiful thing that cannot be reproduced by "Knotty Boy Dread Wax"

Peace love
Harmony

 

Just for the heck of it I decided to search for "minimalist lifestyle" and found this site http://www.doingfreedom.com/gen/1200/ht.beginpt.html
It's got lots of good info so check it out.

As for me...when I left AZ and hopped on the greyhound bus to come back to NH, last Spring. I arrived with 2 small carry-on bags & a small throw pillow (needed for sleeping on the bus).
Most of my stuff I gave to friends, threw in trash or donated to a thrift shop...a friend is holding my huge box of photos, some cookbooks, blankets, & some of my elephant collection.
I still keep my things to a minimum now, as you never know when the traveling bug will strike me again.