Minimalism – Is less really more?

Minimalism – is less really more?

This month two gents known as The Minimalists, Joshua Fields Milburn and Ryan Nicodemus, bring their “Less is Now” tour to Australia, challenging audiences with the question, ‘How might life be better if you owned less, instead of more?’

Far from simply suggesting chronic buyer’s remorse, the Minimalists pose the question of whether our material possessions really do bring us the happiness and fulfilment we thought they would.  If not, could we actually give them away and find freedom from the ‘stuffocating’ life we’re leading? One suggestion includes packing your things as if to move, and then anything not unpacked in the next month is simply donated to charity.

Could we as consumers really make the switch from the McMansion lifestyle to the tiny house movement?  From fast fashion to sustainable clothing? Can we make purchases more consciously, more deliberately and to state the obvious, more rarely?  And if we did, would it be a life of deprivation or indeed, as they advocate, a life with greater financial freedom, less clutter, and more opportunity to focus on what and who we really value?

Far from imposing a strict set of rules, the Minimalists agree there isn’t anything wrong with owning material possessions, they simply suggest focusing on what’s important, what gives serves a distinct purpose or brings real joy, and then getting the excess out of the way.  It begs the question, is this just another fad, or have The Minimalists seen the proverbial light?

Can less really be more?

For more, visit theminimalists.com or see their tour dates across Australia this March.

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