Okay so I installed one social media app in my phone and since I do not know yet what do I want to share that I posted a photo about minimalism. And for the first time I was shocked with the responses. They sound angry and bitter with the idea of minimalism or with the people trying to live a minimalist life or promoting it. While I can understand where do their feelings are coming from, I decided to express my opinion regarding the matter. I admit I do not have a vast followers and readers but then I still do share about minimalism just to spread it and try to influence even one person. Or at least to serve as a reminder because even me I need to be reminded every now and then.
Admittedly it is very easy to be bitter with most of the people I am seeing online preaching about minimalism because they are actually people with money. Who have chosen to be a minimalist (minimalism and frugality seems to be working hand in hand) for whatever reason. While others do not have many choices. I mean there is a difference if I want to experience (extreme) consumerism at one phase in my life then minimalism to the next. Unlike with dirt poor people like me that do not have those liberty. But at the end of the day if I will choose to have bitterness or hatred in my heart it will just add up to all my problems and concerns in life. My hands are full enough to add more negativity. So instead I just look for the positive things in life (while being a drama queen once in a while though haha).
First what is your idea of minimalism? Because the way I understood it, I should have only what I need. Some maybe extremist but to each his own. People like me are sharing what we are doing just to give an example and other not necessarily has to follow it to a T. You will just be frustrated if you do so. And also minimalism is not something new. It has always been there since the beginning of time. It is just about simple living and it doesn't take a genius to grasp what it means. And aside from religion like Buddhist (I was born in a Catholic family and remember gluttony is a sin, so even Catholic teaches one to have only what he needs) even from elders we often hear to have only what we need. Labeling it with minimalism just happened to be easier than using other words.
I am sharing a lot about it in my Social Media Accounts because honestly I am seeing a lot of my 'kabayans' or fellow OFW's that need it badly but I just don't have a heart to say it to their face. I do not want to sound like I am interfering in their lives. I am just merely suggesting for them to try it too because maybe it could help them in some of their burdens. Let me count the ways it helped me and after hearing me out and you still choose hating it then it is you call now. First of all I am living in a very small place. I am doing so because that is all I can afford. Everybody knows that rent in UAE can be insanely expensive (been hearing the prices will go down but never experienced it to be at the affordable level). We can all cry and complain but that is the way it has always been and it will not change anytime soon. And we all need to live in the present. Adjust with it.. Now for the last 10 years I accumulated a lot of things to the point that each corner of my space has something on it. End result? Sometimes I need something but I cannot easily find it. Most of the time I am too tired to clean everything. Not cleaning often then I am giving cockroaches a chance to stay and breed. And if ever that I have time to clean I find it very tiring.
So you see for me less stuff, less cleaning and more time for other things. And since I am documenting the items I am discarding ~ you will notice that most of the items I do not really need. I used them once. Or I never used them at all. Which makes me regret buying them in the first place. I should have kept the money and saved it for the future. Happiness do not lies in the possessions I own. I am at the happiest when I am on a vacation. Experiencing new things. That if I can turn back the time I would have saved the money for travels than buying whatever I purchased in the past. And one more thing, as long as you do not own the place then there is always a possibility that you have to move. I have been here for a decade now and in that decade I moved a lot.
Because I have too many items that moving is also a pain. I need more time in packing items. I need to shell out money to pay people to help me move them and of course to rent a truck. In the examples alone that I stated, being minimalist is easier than being a hoarder. Easy to move. Easy on pocket. Easy on cleaning. I can go on and on with other details but then again allow me to repeat myself: this is just a friendly reminder and no need to throw a dagger on those who do so...
Admittedly it is very easy to be bitter with most of the people I am seeing online preaching about minimalism because they are actually people with money. Who have chosen to be a minimalist (minimalism and frugality seems to be working hand in hand) for whatever reason. While others do not have many choices. I mean there is a difference if I want to experience (extreme) consumerism at one phase in my life then minimalism to the next. Unlike with dirt poor people like me that do not have those liberty. But at the end of the day if I will choose to have bitterness or hatred in my heart it will just add up to all my problems and concerns in life. My hands are full enough to add more negativity. So instead I just look for the positive things in life (while being a drama queen once in a while though haha).
First what is your idea of minimalism? Because the way I understood it, I should have only what I need. Some maybe extremist but to each his own. People like me are sharing what we are doing just to give an example and other not necessarily has to follow it to a T. You will just be frustrated if you do so. And also minimalism is not something new. It has always been there since the beginning of time. It is just about simple living and it doesn't take a genius to grasp what it means. And aside from religion like Buddhist (I was born in a Catholic family and remember gluttony is a sin, so even Catholic teaches one to have only what he needs) even from elders we often hear to have only what we need. Labeling it with minimalism just happened to be easier than using other words.
I am sharing a lot about it in my Social Media Accounts because honestly I am seeing a lot of my 'kabayans' or fellow OFW's that need it badly but I just don't have a heart to say it to their face. I do not want to sound like I am interfering in their lives. I am just merely suggesting for them to try it too because maybe it could help them in some of their burdens. Let me count the ways it helped me and after hearing me out and you still choose hating it then it is you call now. First of all I am living in a very small place. I am doing so because that is all I can afford. Everybody knows that rent in UAE can be insanely expensive (been hearing the prices will go down but never experienced it to be at the affordable level). We can all cry and complain but that is the way it has always been and it will not change anytime soon. And we all need to live in the present. Adjust with it.. Now for the last 10 years I accumulated a lot of things to the point that each corner of my space has something on it. End result? Sometimes I need something but I cannot easily find it. Most of the time I am too tired to clean everything. Not cleaning often then I am giving cockroaches a chance to stay and breed. And if ever that I have time to clean I find it very tiring.
So you see for me less stuff, less cleaning and more time for other things. And since I am documenting the items I am discarding ~ you will notice that most of the items I do not really need. I used them once. Or I never used them at all. Which makes me regret buying them in the first place. I should have kept the money and saved it for the future. Happiness do not lies in the possessions I own. I am at the happiest when I am on a vacation. Experiencing new things. That if I can turn back the time I would have saved the money for travels than buying whatever I purchased in the past. And one more thing, as long as you do not own the place then there is always a possibility that you have to move. I have been here for a decade now and in that decade I moved a lot.
Because I have too many items that moving is also a pain. I need more time in packing items. I need to shell out money to pay people to help me move them and of course to rent a truck. In the examples alone that I stated, being minimalist is easier than being a hoarder. Easy to move. Easy on pocket. Easy on cleaning. I can go on and on with other details but then again allow me to repeat myself: this is just a friendly reminder and no need to throw a dagger on those who do so...
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