Minimalism — A lifestyle where “Less is More”
By: Jeev Singh
Tags: Minimalism, Consumerism, India, Less Is More, Environment

What is Minimalism?

“A design or style in which the simplest and fewest elements are used to create the maximum effect.” Minimalism originated as an art movement that began post World War II in the western art culture and was characterized by simplicity both in content and form, stripped of superfluous elements, colors, shapes, and textures.

More recently, it has become representative of a lifestyle that aims to declutter from all aspects of life in order to make more room for the most important aspects of life: health, relationships, passion, morals, and purpose.

The definition of true Minimalism is different for everyone. It is all about identifying and owning only those things that add true meaning to your life and removing the rest. Honestly, minimalism is a personal journey from making your own rules and choosing if you want to follow them. You intentionally chose the aspects and things you want to promote and remove the ones that distract you from it.

Who are Minimalists?

Minimalists are people who like to keep it simple. Not because they are boring but because they believe in downsizing the importance of materialistic satisfaction.

They are satisfied with the things they own and don’t constantly crave to buy bigger and better things. They would rather spend the time and money saved on things that add more value to their lives.

A minimalist mindset is to be content with what one has instead of satisfaction through buying things that don’t add any meaning or value to life.

According to minimalists the problem today is that people spend too much energy prioritizing more and more stuff often forsaking the things which are truly essential for their happiness. They believe to focus on making room for more: more time, more creativity, more experiences, more contribution, and more freedom.

Today, some of the most successful personalities are minimalists. From millionaires to billionaires, from your next-door neighbor to the person who just delivered your groceries, anyone can follow minimalism.

Minimalism in India

A wave of minimalism as a lifestyle has struck the developed countries and now also the affluent corners of India. Many around the country who can afford conspicuous consumption and have been doing so for a while are now deciding to take a step back and embracing minimalism.

Indian consumers have the second-highest purchasing power in the world at $10.1 Trillion. As a result, the update-and-upgrade consumerist lifestyle is sweeping through the country. Ironically, close to 90 million of the population lives below the poverty line. This socio-economic bridge has further encouraged more and more to embrace minimalism.

In a country of 1.2 Billion people, focusing on environmental sustainability on a personal level is tremendous yet challenging. Most people are satisfied using eco-friendly, organic, or sustainable alternatives for more and more things that they want. But few believe that minimalism is the most environment-friendly lifestyle to adapt to.

The concept of minimalism continues to mean different things to different people across countries and cultures. Although, the core principles are mostly similar, Counter Consumerism and Environmentally Sustainable Lifestyle.

Counter Consumerism

“Consumerism is the idea that increasing consumption of goods and services purchased in the market is always a desirable goal and that a person’s well being and happiness depends fundamentally on obtaining consumer goods and material possessions.”

The idea of gratifying desires in a materialistic way is what brands have been promoting in the modern world of advertising. When you buy a new phone, you have this thing that you were really obsessed about. But then, a new version comes out which is new and improved in many ways. And now you no longer care about the one you have. In fact, the one you have is a source of dissatisfaction.

By embracing minimalism, many individuals throughout the country are trying to counter consumerism. Minimalists believe, owning less materialistic things depending on the value they add to life, and focusing more on the non-materialistic aspects of life is what brings true gratification. Thus, the motto “Less is More”

Environmentally Sustainable Lifestyle

“Fast fashion” is a term used by fashion retailers to describe inexpensive designs that move quickly from the catwalk to stores to meet new trends. As a result of this trend, the tradition of introducing new fashion lines on a seasonal basis is being challenged. Today, it is not uncommon for fast-fashion retailers to introduce new products multiple times in a single week to stay on-trend.”

As exciting as fast fashion sounds, the fashion industry emits the second-highest number of carbon which is more than the international flight industry and produces 21 million tons of waste each year. Minimalists from around the world believe that brands deliberately replace designs at rapid rates to maximize profits without any regard for the impact it has on the environment.

Minimalism encourages creatively utilizing space as efficiently as possible. By reducing the number of materials that do not add value, one is making more space for themselves and for the environment to thrive. With the kind of population in India, space has always been a challenge and it has taken a toll on the environment too.

Minimalists in metro cities these days prefer having smaller places that are not cluttered with unnecessary items, easy to maintain, cost-efficient, sustainable, and a motivation to step out for more experiences.

Why choose Minimalism?

In the end, minimalism focuses less on owning fewer items but more on intentionally making choices for the things that truly matter to you.

We live in a society that encourages the false idea of comparing success with the number of materialistic possessions in one’s name. This constant chase for better and bigger is an endless loop as there will always be something bigger and nicer to buy.

Practicing minimalism may get quite challenging at first, but as you gradually declutter your life of the excessive material you own, you would feel your stress-reducing and your mind clearing up to add new and valuable things and experiences. The choices you start to make will fundamentally change the way you live your life, for the better.

“Minimalism is a tool that can assist you in finding freedom. Freedom from fear. Freedom from worry. Freedom from overwhelm. Freedom from guilt. Freedom from depression. Freedom from the trappings of the consumer culture we’ve built our lives around. Real freedom.”

Joshua Fields Millburn & Ryan Nicodemus | The Minimalists