Minimalism

Did you have a New Year’s Resolution that involved cleaning out closets, the basement, or the attic? If so, how is that going? If getting rid of your “stuff” is difficult for you, or even if that is not something you struggle with, I want you to watch a fairly new documentary called Minimalism: A Documentary about the Important Things. The two men behind the film are Joshua Fields Millburn and Ryan Nicodemus. Both of them had rough childhoods, including financial troubles. Consequently, both grew up with strong feelings about working hard and securing careers with substantial financial security. Both men succeeded and had lucrative, albeit demanding careers. 

After a series of calamities, including losing his mother to cancer, Millburn found himself asking himself some profound questions, namely, why wasn’t he happy? What he discovered was that by simplifying his life and giving away much of his possessions, he greatly improved his quality of life and discovered joys he had never known. Nicodemus noticed the difference in his friend—he saw his friend as someone who was always happy. Millburn explained he had found a life of “minimalism” was the answer. Millburn explained that living the life of a minimalist does not mean you have nothing, it simply means you don’t have an excess of things. He said everything he owns has a purpose. 

This fascinating documentary begins with the premise that we are all under an illusion—we think that our lives are supposed to be perfect. We are constantly looking around us and asking, “how can I get that life?” The film gives lots of interesting information about how advertisers work to infiltrate every aspect of our lives—from signage on billboards and buses, to the power of commercials and print advertising. 

There are various experts in the fields of sociology and human studies that are interviewed, giving their thoughts about our desires to acquire more and more things and how society contributes to our thinking that more is better and will bring us the happiness we all crave. I found it so interesting that one group did a study about how much of our homes we actually use. Did you know that the average family of four only uses about 40% of their home? I totally believe that to be true! Now that our children are grown, there are days when I don’t go down to the basement or to the spare bedrooms upstairs. Except for sleeping in our bedroom, we are pretty much in the kitchen, family room, my office, or outdoors. 

The minimalists also explained that they are not saying you should get rid of all of your things—just those that don’t serve a purpose or add value to your life. For example, if you have a doll collection that you absolutely love, that is giving value to your life. But if you have a basement or garage full of things (i.e. junk) you never use and aren’t even sure why you have it, perhaps you should give it away. 

It is so true that when you do, in fact, purge your closet of clothes you haven’t worn in years, it does feel freeing. As a bonus, when you give things to one of the numerous charitable organizations in our community, you can know you are helping someone else. The old saying, “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure,” is certainly true. 

We watched the documentary on Netflix, but you can probably find it other places online. Let me know what your thoughts are!