 A simple life is an
easy life. Less to worry about, less to maintain and less to get lost
in.
The things you buy does not only take money to obtain, in many cases
they also take money to use, maintain and they take somewhere to be
stored. Some causes worries due to theft, destruction, wear&tear and
misuse.
The less you buy, the less you have to work and the more time you can
enjoy life.
When I see something I "want", I ask my self; "Can I do without?". If
you are honest to your self, the answer will most times be a big "YES".
The environment and
recourses.
Another main incentive for me is the environment. It is hard to neglect
the negative impact human materialism have on our planet. We are way too many humans
on the planet, but the way we use the recourses are even worse.
Read more about this on
another of my pages.
The happy people.
Many years ago, I visited some remote tribal communities in Southern
Senegal. They lived in clay huts, one for the husband, one for each of
his wives and her children. Within each hut, a bed was made from
branches, twigs and an animal hide. They all had a neat spare dressing
blanket, and the women had a short spade, a clay jar with water and one
with grains. That was all the huts contained.
The husbands only task was
to rebuild the huts after the rainy season. The women grow some
vegetables and grains along the river, but only worked for a hour or two each
day. The boys caught fish in the river, and the rest of the time, they
all relaxed and had fun under the huge kapok trees.
When I looked into their faces and talked with them, I realised how much
they were in balance with them self and the surrounding nature. They
were bright and awake, always ready for a joke and a laugh. I have
only seen such a calmness and balance in the faces of monks in remote monasteries in
Bhutan and Himalaya.
Their villages were made under groups of enormous kapok trees, and the
wild nature continued in-between the huts. They might have lived here
for 100.000 of years, and can continue this balanced lifestyle - if we
let them.
It is my clear believe, humans were mend to live like this, in balance
with the nature and them self, and it made me rethink my life.
My belongings.
I can clearly not live like these people due to climate and culture.
However, I did learn a lot from them, which I have used to form my
future life with. Cutting down in my belongings is the most obvious
place to start. It have been an ongoing process, and the life I live, is
directly linked - both ways. I prefer the best quality I can find,
making things last longer and giving a better feeling, while using them.
At present, I live in a rented 20 square meter room, sharing the kitchen
with a few others and the toilet with one. That gives me access to
additional kitchen gear and shared washing machine, scales and alike,
shorting my list with 13
objects.
All my music, papers and photos are digitised. My cloths do not
include tuxedo and alike. Not even my room is actual made for big
social events. And I do not have a/some wives and children, and that
shortens the list considerable, I guess.
At present, I have 30 objects + the daily consumer goods.
However, the toolbox and shelf with four aquariums (which is my
luxory) contains several objects.
I have inherited an old bureau, but I only use one draw for my cloths,
and the upper part is stuffed with souvenirs from my journeys - quite some
actually.
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Minimalism as a
lifestyle is so simple - and yet so complicated.