MINIMALISM - Less Is More

“Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated.”- Confucius

 A  few months back, when the entire world was at the peak in the spread of COVID-19, I had come upon a humorous Whatsapp forward which read- "It's funny how the world economy is about to collapse, just because people are buying only what they really need!". Given a deep thought, one realizes that too much importance is being given to things that are unimportant and irrelevant. This was how I was introduced to the concept of Minimalism.

What is minimalism and what is its relevance in our life?

To begin with, the dictionary defines minimalism as “a style or technique that is characterized by extreme spareness and simplicity .” But I would rather put it together as “the lifestyle that satisfies the need of this hour.” It is the art of living where one lives with very few, basic material possessions. Well, this is just the ‘technical’ aspect to that.

In this busy world, it is rare to come across a person who is always happy and contented with whatever he has. Human nature is such that the more we have, the more we want. And the more we want, the more discontented we will be since not all our wants are necessarily met. It's always good to differentiate one's 'needs' (basic requirements for healthy, decent living and survival) from the 'wants'(things you desire to have for your enjoyment and luxury).

A contended person possesses little and lives life in a simple way, thus reducing his burdens and has less to fear. So another perk minimalism provides us is freedom. Freedom from unnecessary clutter; Freedom from the rat race; Freedom from insecurities and freedom from trying to please others. Minimalism is thus a key to self-contentment, happiness, and total freedom. But when this comes to the modern world, this concept is termed a "fad".

People often tend to get confused between a minimalist and a scrooge/miser. The latter is someone who hoards wealth and spends as little money as possible, whereas the former is someone who lives mindfully by having fewer possessions

Now that we have got an idea of what minimalism is, let us get to know more. Well, there is NO specific discipline of becoming one. It varies from person to person, depending on one's needs and situations. Few tips one can try:

• It helps to take stock of our personal possessions and segregate rarely used things from the frequently used ones. It is always a good idea to give away the rarely used ones to the needy.
• The next step is to declutter congested spaces and rearrange them in a simple manner.
• Bring in less. Minimalism is not about having less. It's all about setting our priorities and making room for more of what matters - Quality over Quantity!
  So, we must buy fewer things only to replace those that are worn out.

FAMOUS QUOTES ON MINIMALISM

“There is no greatness where there is not simplicity.”

- Leo Tolstoy

“Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.”

- Leonardo da Vinci

“The secret of happiness, you see, is not found in seeking more, but in developing the capacity to enjoy less.”

- Socrates

"Live simply, so that others may simply live"

- Mahatma Gandhi

(Edit: I did not intend to offend anybody through this post; Opinions may vary)