Solstice Time and ‘Minimalism’: The Movie
Today,
we celebrate the Solstice! Our journey around the sun now takes a happier course:
we start moving closer to the sun. It may be 25 degrees outside this morning
and feel nothing like a return to spring, but we’re on our way. The days now
begin to lengthen, and unseen by us, trees and plants all around begin to stir.
Check
out the new documentary on Netflix called ‘Minimalism’. The Minimalists is a group
of activists who say that He Who Dies with the Most Toys does not win. They’re
spreading the word that less is more and that spending and consumption is a
dead-end street.
I did
some amateur online research on American spending habits. Turns out that our
spending and consumption reached historic proportions sometime in the mid-1990s
and has since continued to grow. We are spending record amounts of money that
we don’t have for things we don’t need. We’re making corporations obscenely
rich while burying ourselves in debt.
There
is a template of the American dream out there, and it’s based on the idea that
the more I own, the happier I’ll be. So, we spend our lives on the hunt; the
latest version of a cell phone, the current fast fashion, the newest SUV, the 4,500
square-foot house, the quartz countertops, the 2.4 children, the 60-inch flat
screen TV, the timeshare, the inground pool, the designer handbag. Happiness is
always just around the next corner, and buying the next thing will get us
there.
I’ve
been thinking about minimalism a lot, and not as a lifestyle change, but as a
return to the soul of existence. Imagine living free of clutter, debt, and an
uninspiring job that erodes time, energy, and creativity. Imagine being able to
pick up and go with few concerns and no attachments. Imagine not paying
interest or annual fees to creditors. Imagine having a small, modest, paid-for
home and a good night’s sleep. Imagine walking and biking, connecting honestly
with others, doing work you love or just not working at all, and not worrying
about keeping up or fitting in.
Imagine
stepping out of the Matrix.
Check
it out:
Live
in peace.
