Tuesday, April 20, 2010

My Quest For Minimalism

I've been affected by Hamish's article. I've decided to not just read it and think how cool that would be, but actually take it to heart.

Since I discovered Buddhism, I've felt a connection to the idea of minimalism and have had many moments to think about how I would like to start getting a bit more serious with it. I guess an irony is that through minimalism, I don't want to take as many things seriously. Because when I go on Facebook and see that there is something in my inbox or there is a notifuckation, I have a feeling (albeit a light and over time a subconscious one) of happiness that people want to talk to me. And the opposite happens when my inbox is empty. To me, that is taking something unnecessarily seriously.

When I saw Into The Wild, I felt a connection to the movie and it's message. To me, that is a film about minimalism, among other things.

When I was a kid, I thought about how much I wanted to be an adult, as I'm sure most kids do. Part of that adulthood did not involve a life filled with something like the internet and it's power to pull me in. We all know what it's like to go on the internet to look at one thing and find yourself sitting for hours looking at mindless stuff. Actually, this is more a personal thing, because most people find that looking at sites is a good way to expand your general knowledge, and if that's you, then that's right for you and your personality. But I've always been one to just be interested in a few things passionately and I don't feel a need to know much more than that. Also, it's not that the internet is a bad thing, it's obviously a great thing. But it is the amount of hours I have spent on the internet and the reasons I am there that bother me.

It all comes down to this: my music, my friends, my family and the art I experience. This is all I want. Because less crap equals more goodness. Through meditation, I am becoming more focused in my day to day life, and it is showing through how well Vienna Circus is going. I am slowly employing minimalism into my life. YES!!

- Lee

4 comments:

  1. Nice man, truly. Your post has the same title as mine, however its completely different. A totally different angle on the minimalist idea, but the result is the same - a simpler, happier life, with more room for the important things. For you its guitar. For me its auto-fellatio.

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  2. Lee, you might be interested in reading this: http://focusmanifesto.com/

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  3. That guy is so motivational, just reading the blog inspires minimalism.

    I want to say that I've also taken on a few minimalist ways of life since I read Hamish's blog. Since last Wednesday (a week ago) I've eaten meat only the once. Living out of home I can control exactly what I eat, so I have. The last two nights I've cooked vege dishes. And for some reason I've been getting some really good sleep (not sure whether it's cuz of not eating meat or not), but hey I like it.

    Stemming from the no-meat thing I haven't eaten crap in a week also, choosing to forgo the delicious piece of toasted banana bread with butter and a superbly creamy cappuccino for a glass of water/ tea and an apple.

    I think also knowing that you are eating healthier makes you want to continue, and exercise more etc. We'll see how long this lasts, but for now, I'm feeling pretty pretty pretty pretty pretty good.

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  4. I can relate to every single word

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