What’s It All For?
Yesterday a friend asked me why I was devoting so much time to this ‘minimalist thing.’ I had an answer, albeit a general one, but it made me think more about my own reasons for traveling the minimalist path. Why buck the system? Why try to break the cycle of consumerism countless people have been caught in, myself included? How do the benefits outweigh the costs with my choices. Here are a couple of reasons I’ve come up with (in no particular order):
- Save money - this is a fairly obvious reason
- Get into the habit so I can show my future children the benefits of consuming less
- Travel/moving - I’ve been inspired by Everett Bogue from Far Beyond the Stars with his recent post detailing his 75 personal belongings. He can pack up and move much more easily than most people can. I need to be open to God’s call and not chained down by my possession or expensive monthly payments
- Smaller house - If I have less possessions I don’t need to have a large house to store all of the junk. I suspect a lot of the space in people’s homes are devoted to things that are mostly useless.
- Less maintenance, less worry - With less stuff you don’t have to worry about keeping it in good shape, pay for repairs, or storage.
- Freedom from Slavery - Just freedom in general. I can do what I need to do without worrying about my possession. Though, if my possessions keep my from doing something, it’s the possessions that own me. Right now I am not my own man, I am owned by two credit card companies and three banks (student loans). My work is not my own, my time is not my own. I am a debt-slave.
So there are my reasons for my minimalist journey. What are yours? Have you committed to the path of freedom?
