At least 5 of my 15 minutes of fame happened when I was interviewed for a low-budget documentary about minimalism. 10 years after its release, I have thoughts about the doc and its impact on society.
I very much appreciate what I'm taking as your main theme: Making do with less stuff is a good plan but is half the equation; a fuller inner experience can be added, providing context and meaning for the external, and on it's own.
The whole essay was positive and helpful context and insights. The Addendum struck a different tone, being a bit sour.
Thanks Buzz for the comments and feedback. And I realized I was being a bit petty with the addendum. There are a lot of stories I need to tell that involve specific people doing specific harms. I’m trying to shift my writing style to attack the principles behind those harms, and less about the person. But I’m not always an exemplar of maturity, and my sense of betrayal can rear its head.
“I dabbled in pacifism once, not in Nam of course”. I agree with your premise that this all seems a bit contrived. Consumption for basic need vs excessive need seems to be the point, do I need that other house? The only thing I consume in excess is an insane, perhaps unhealthy, amount of laps on my local hill.
I remember reading that New York Times article 'Living With Less. A Lot Less.' Years later, I sent you an email asking, 'I'm interested in this topic. Can you recommend a book?'
Your reply was amazing: you don’t need a book.
It reminded me of something an actor once said:
Every object I own comes with a responsibility. That’s why I don’t want my house full of things. The more things I own, the more responsibilities I have.
Man, I actually forgot about that article. I wrote most of it. It was one of the Times most read and emailed articles of 2014. It’s extra funny because the Times ripped LifeEdited apart in a 2012 piece.
And yeah, all of the books with techniques for paring down make the subject matter way more complicated than it needs to be. Perhaps the hardest part is understanding what true needs are. Unfortunately, I usually discovered what those needs are when everything else was taken from me.
I very much appreciate what I'm taking as your main theme: Making do with less stuff is a good plan but is half the equation; a fuller inner experience can be added, providing context and meaning for the external, and on it's own.
The whole essay was positive and helpful context and insights. The Addendum struck a different tone, being a bit sour.
Thank you for your insights and efforts!
Thanks Buzz for the comments and feedback. And I realized I was being a bit petty with the addendum. There are a lot of stories I need to tell that involve specific people doing specific harms. I’m trying to shift my writing style to attack the principles behind those harms, and less about the person. But I’m not always an exemplar of maturity, and my sense of betrayal can rear its head.
“I dabbled in pacifism once, not in Nam of course”. I agree with your premise that this all seems a bit contrived. Consumption for basic need vs excessive need seems to be the point, do I need that other house? The only thing I consume in excess is an insane, perhaps unhealthy, amount of laps on my local hill.
You’re definitely a glutton for Green.
I remember reading that New York Times article 'Living With Less. A Lot Less.' Years later, I sent you an email asking, 'I'm interested in this topic. Can you recommend a book?'
Your reply was amazing: you don’t need a book.
It reminded me of something an actor once said:
Every object I own comes with a responsibility. That’s why I don’t want my house full of things. The more things I own, the more responsibilities I have.
Man, I actually forgot about that article. I wrote most of it. It was one of the Times most read and emailed articles of 2014. It’s extra funny because the Times ripped LifeEdited apart in a 2012 piece.
And yeah, all of the books with techniques for paring down make the subject matter way more complicated than it needs to be. Perhaps the hardest part is understanding what true needs are. Unfortunately, I usually discovered what those needs are when everything else was taken from me.