A lot of
people don’t do minimalism because it doesn’t seem realistic for their lives.
But what they often mean is that they don’t want others to think they’re weird.
Wearing the
same clothes every day might seem weird to your friends and co-workers. Having
no car might make you seem like an oddball. Not having a smartphone might make
you uncool. Living in a small home or an RV might
make everyone think you’re poor or crazy.
But who are
we living for?
I am all for living to help other people, but when we live our
lives to the expectations of other people; we end up living lives we don’t
want. And what do we get when we live up to the expectations of all these other
people? They really don’t care — they just don’t like things different because
they are uncomfortable with change. Staying the same as everyone else doesn’t
make everyone else happier — it just doesn’t force them to reflect on their
lives.
Where do
these expectations come from, anyway? Other people didn’t just make them up —
they are customs built up over the years, often very consciously by corporations
trying to get us into expensive buying habits
For example,
we have so many clothes, gadgets and other possessions because ads have sold us
on the idea that we need clothing to look stylish, to be successful, to feel
like we are above ourselves or as good as the people we idolize and worship.
Now don’t
get me wrong I like nice things too and I am I’m not saying we should go live
in the woods and ignore society (though that’s not a bad option). People don’t
go wild with anger when they hear that I don’t celebrate holidays but I might
get a raised eyebrow when they find out I dance to the beat of my own drum and
I enjoy listening to the wind whisper and the flow of progress. Here what I have learned over the years is hurt people, hurt people and you don't need everyone to like or even love you.
I have
learned that you have to learn to block out the noises of the drama and negativity and focus on
taking deep breath, reset, reshift and restart again and go on with your life.
Go against the stream — the other fish don’t know where they’re going either!
When it comes to others, be helpful,
compassionate, and establish your boundaries. But don’t live up to their expectations. You’ll be
freed of the shackles of meaningless customs, so that you can live as you want one day at a time.....
