This is my cup--coffee, water, milk, juice--resting on a stand my husband put together. I'm not throwing the cup away, although the stand has probably outlived its usefulness.
There is a story told about the Greek philosopher, Diogenes 400-325 BCE. His contemporaries believed the philosopher was mad, because he surrendered all his possessions and lived in a rain barrel. One day, the story goes, Diogenes saw a boy drinking water from cupped hands. At that point, the already impoverished ascetic threw away his drinking cup because he realized it wasn't necessary.
Now that's a minimalist.
When I first heard (from @millycf1976) that there was a minimalist community on Hive, I was delighted. That's me, I thought, though I'm no Diogenes. I'm not as ready as he was to throw things away, but pretty much on the same page when it comes to acquiring stuff.
The less I own, the less I have to take care of, the less I have to worry about losing.
I turn now to another minimalist, who is somewhere on the spectrum between Diogenes and me: Henry David Thoreau. This 19th century essayist/philosopher/naturalist/poet (not a minimalist when it came to sharing his views) wrote in his definitive text, Walden, about the superfluity of most possessions:
Most of the luxuries, and many of the so called comforts of life, are not only not indispensable, but positive hindrances to the elevation of mankind
Thoreau is remembered above all for retreating into the forest, building a tiny house and living by the labor of his own hands for two years. I'm not that much of a minimalist, but I would love to be.
I'm not like Diogenes, and I'm not like Thoreau. Then what do I mean when I say I'm a minimalist? I don't want to own a lot of stuff, and generally don't buy anything unless it is essential. A problem with that definition is, what is "a lot of stuff"? And what are essentials? Aren't these basically determined by where we live and societal expectations?
Thoreau on essentials:
Most men...are actually though needlessly poor all their lives because they think that they must have such a one as their neighbors have
and
It is the luxurious and dissipated who set the fashions which the herd so diligently follow
When I compare my lifestyle with the lifestyles of Thoreau or Diogenes, my claim to minimalism seems absurd. And yet, I do resist the temptation to own more.
When I was single (a very long time ago), I worked at Kennedy Airport, but refused to buy a car. I maintained this position for four years, despite the fact that commuting to work was onerous. It required transferring on two trains and taking a bus. There were not a lot of car-resistant employees on my job, because of the commuter challenge. We comprised a subculture and recognized each other on the airport bus, the last leg of our journey.
Diogenes and Thoreau would smile derisively at my idea of minimalism, wouldn't they? And as I write this I feel rather pompous in describing my voluntary minimalism. Millions of people live a minimalist life because they have no choice.
There was a time when I was one of those people. Perhaps my minimalism is partly due to that. I learned to live with less and had little regard for people who thought less of me because of it.
Thoreau on new clothes vs old clothes:
A man who has at length found something to do will not need to get a new suit to do it in; for him the old will do, that has lain dusty in the garret for an indeterminate period.
and
I say, beware of all enterprises that require new clothes, and not rather a new wearer of clothes.
I grew up wearing 'old clothes'. My uncle owned a dry cleaning store. When clothes were abandoned he would pass them on to my family. 'Girl' clothes were worn first by my older sister. When she was done with them, they were handed down to me. When I was done with them they were handed down to my younger sister.
Today, I am sometimes chastised by my family because they think my pocketbook looks worn, or my sneakers look old. Recently, my daughter bought a coat for me because I had started wearing a coat my husband no longer wanted.
My husband's coat, which will be headed to the local outreach center
The coat my daughter bought me. It is very nice, fits well and is warm :)
But, please, don't mistake my minimalism for frugality. The same daughter who bought the coat worries that I am not cognizant of how I spend my money.
My husband and I never sell anything. We give stuff away when we have no use for it.
I'm not sure if my post today is what the community is looking for. I don't try to live a minimalist life. It just happens. There seems to be that piece missing in me that attaches to things, and money.
I never cashed a paycheck in my whole life and kept the money. When I worked at the airport, my mother lived with me. I cashed my check, put it on a dresser and told her to take whatever she wanted. My first part-time job after my marriage I bought savings bonds for the children with the pay. My first paycheck as a teacher, I accidentally threw away.
It could be dangerous to be me, if I didn't have family hovering. Things might get perilously minimal. But I don't think so. I was poor once. Never want to be that again. I just don't need a lot.
This is a great community, @millycf1976. I'm not sure what I have to offer, because I don't have a 'style'. I have a way of being. However, after writing this and reading your first blog in the community, I find myself looking around at things I hold onto--not consciously, but carelessly. Time to do a little letting go, perhaps.
Credits
Accent Illustrations,
Bird by @yaziris from the LMAC LIL Gallery of Images.
Flower by @muelli from the LMAC LIL Gallery of Images.
Quotes by Thoreau taken from the text of his book, Walden, published by Project Guttenberg.
Thank you for reading my blog
Hive on!