I wouldn’t exactly say that my initial attraction to minimalism as a lifestyle came from my environment. It was more of a personal, background touch, mostly associated with my family. But I can also say, that the reason why I maintain a lifestyle of minimalism, at least in most aspects, was acquired by my family but sustained by my environment.
I think the first aspect of my environment that steered me towards minimalism was the waste. Waste, not only gotten from littering, but also having too many things. Too many possessions that we acquire and end up not even needing or properly utilizing for a long time. And then, all of that ends up on the streets, wasted. It certainly pushed me towards understanding the need for a more eco-friendly lifestyle.
There was a certain time that I moved to another city away from mine. There was a lot of hustle and bustle and that particular city seemed to be the centre of everything that was happening. I was daunted by the level of waste gathered not because there were too many people there, but because there were too many possessions, a lack of understanding of what it means to protect our planet and climate by not littering. Up till now, my friends still find it weird that I hold my trash in my hand till I get to a trash can. Just dumping it anywhere itches my skin to no ends. Some people even see a trash can just before them and still proceed to litter the floor with it.
Another aspect of my environment that contributed to me totally embracing the tenets of minimalism would be the social aspect. Seeing too many people lose all sense of self on the grounds of trying to fit in, trying to conform to the image that society presents and taking it hook, line and sinker. The effect that social media has on our minds, making us think that what you have is who you are and that’s what should define you, has become the bane of human existence today.
The environment I found myself in emphasized on this thing called “oppression,” where we’re constantly made to judge ourselves or think we aren’t doing well for ourselves, or think we’re not enough, because of a life that we can only view from our devices. A life that may not even be real. But we take to it as the truth about our ourselves, and let it shape every belief we have.
I remember a long time back, when someone in my vicinity nearly committed suicide because the guy who she was in a relationship with got married to someone else. Apparently, he was wealthy, and she said that she couldn’t bear not being able to afford the lifestyle he gave her. I was astounded because how little did she think of herself to feel that those possessions was all she was?
The last area I’d like to talk about which my environment influenced me in was on the matter of personal relationships. People holding too long to the dead, holding too hard to stake and toxic relationships at the detriment of their own peace, living lives that are cluttered by what is false and not necessary to our well-being. Knowing how to re-evaluate and prioritize when it gets hard. I’ve seen the lack thereof, of all of these play out in real time and all around me. From the little ways to the very profound ones that could go incredibly sour.
So when the Minimalist Community through the #kiss initiative, asked the question of our environment and what role it played, I just thought of all the things that came to play in my life because of it and how though it didn’t initially contribute to my current choices, it helped me sustain it.
Jhymi🖤
Images are mine.
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