Are you or are you not a minimalist?

[Ultralight]

A couple quotes about minimalism:
Minimalism isn't just about having less stuff, it is also about having a clear mind and a balanced life. Vanessa Webb
Minimalism isn't about removing things that you love, it is about removing things that distract you from things that you love. Joshua Becker

I agree with both of these and I practice minimalism along these lines.

UL doesn't seem balanced by himself (hence needing to seek a life partner), and I am not sure about a clear mind.

That is nice of you to say. Thanks!

[Ultralight]

...I don't agree that minimalism is necessarily a martyred life to the minimalist cause, or minimalism for the sake of minimalism (which UL may be guilty of).

What makes you think of may be guilty of that?

[Ultralight]

[QUOTE=early morning;316676]Those are great quotes, tms. I like stuff. Mostly OLD stuff. I am not a minimalist, and I'm not going to apologize for it.

Who is asking you to apologize? Could it be that you are committing civil disobedience against a law that does not exist?

I know several self-proclaimed minimalists and to me, personally, their homes are bleak and ugly, and I think it's pretty stupid that when I'm invited in for coffee, I get a Styrofoam cup because they only own two mugs.

I don't know a single minimalist who does this.

A stack of single-use Styrofoam has the same spacial footprint as a 25 cent yard sale mug....and the mug is much less environmentally harmful.

Every minimalist I know would agree with you on this point.

My "stuff" does not distract me from what I love, it connects me to it even more firmly.

Then I strongly suggest you keep your stuff.

[Ultralight]

In citing (inciting, apparently ) the hair shirt, I was referring to people that make a fetish of their sacrifice/holiness/rejection of culture, et cetera...

How is calling/comparing someone to a hairshirt wearer or a fetishist not being judgmental? Could you be spouting off your own form of elitism? Seriously asking...

What you call a fetish or hairshirting might be someone's fun hobby or path to spiritual enlightenment/transcendence, isn't that very possible? Why dump on it?

I indirectly know an ultra-endurance athlete. She meticulously tracks her strides, her calories, her fluid intake, etc.

Could this be some lifestyle fetish? Perhaps. Or it could be the hobby she loves, the hobby that thrills her. Right?

[LDAHL]

Some people enjoy curating their stamp collection. Some people like rearranging those little ceramic figurines. I’m not sure if a minimalist is curating all their stuff or all the stuff they don’t have. I’m not sure if they do it for esthetic reasons, high principle or necessity. But if they don’t judge my garage, I won’t judge their artfully empty spaces.

It’s one of those life is too short things.

[catherine]

What makes you think of may be guilty of that?

Well, let me throw it back atcha.

Why are you a minimalist?

[Ultralight]

Well, let me throw it back atcha.

Why are you a minimalist?

Normally I would say: "You made the assessment; the burden of proof is on you."

But I will humor you.

I am a minimalist for these reasons, in my own words:

-I find it aesthetically pleasing
-I like to focus my mind (on projects of various sorts)
-I want to save money, and minimalism is an easy way for me to do that
-It is a fun way to challenge myself
-It makes moving easy
-I don't feel like I need much (so why bother having much?)
-It makes cleaning my living space quick and easy
-Minimalism gives me a sense of freedom and a nice little uptick in my overall happiness too
-My style of minimalism shrinks my ecological footprint

There are more reasons, but you get the picture.

[razz]

Normally I would say: "You made the assessment; the burden of proof is on you."

But I will humor you.

I am a minimalist for these reasons, in my own words:

-I find it aesthetically pleasing
-I like to focus my mind (on projects of various sorts)
-I want to save money, and minimalism is an easy way for me to do that
-It is a fun way to challenge myself
-It makes moving easy
-I don't feel like I need much (so why bother having much?)
-It makes cleaning my living space quick and easy
-Minimalism gives me a sense of freedom and a nice little uptick in my overall happiness too
-My style of minimalism shrinks my ecological footprint

There are more reasons, but you get the picture.

Why do you persist in asking the same or similar question over and over? Why not apply your minimalist thinking to your posting? Sounds somewhat snarky but a genuine question.

[Ultralight]

Why do you persist in asking the same or similar question over and over? Why not apply your minimalist thinking to your posting? Sounds somewhat snarky but a genuine question.

Give me an example, if you can, of how I have asked the same or similar questions over and over.

[herbgeek]

Give me an example, if you can, of how I have asked the same or similar questions over and over.

I did a quick search for posts by Ultralight that included the word minimalism. That search resulted in 4 pages (100 items). fwiw- I also did a search on minimalist and that returned 5 pages. Because I am lazy, I just looked at the first page of results. 19 of the 25 listed were directly about minimalism.

Some titles:

Making minimalism a deal breaker?

Coworker approached me about minimalism!

Are you or are you not a minimalist?

The 6 Types of Minimalists...

Article: They don’t need much and like it that way

Tough question about going "extreme" with minimalism/simple living

1,000 things?

Maybe to you these are all different topics, but to many of us, it sounds like much the same.