Through some deep thought, and honestly a substantial amount of self reflection, it has become apparent that we have a natural tendency to complicate our lives, especially due to modern influence.
If we take a look at food, for example, and begin to reason with ourselves why we make the choices that we do with our eating habits and fad diets, or aspire to purchase or cook up an ‘instagram-worthy’ meal, you may find that there is often more reason behind the choice that the nutritional benefit of the food. It can definitely be argued that food, at it’s core, has the purpose to provide the necessary nutrition our body needs to go about our daily activities. Nowadays, our approach to food has drastically stretched far beyond this, requiring the food to be exquisitely garnished, or seasoned and cooked in a particular way for the hunt of achieving an unattainable perfection in taste.
I challenge you to imagine, if you were not allowed to share your experience or notify anyone about the artisan dish in question (i.e. through social media), would you truly feel that the meal is worth your time to prepare or the money you forked out to have it arrive at your table? I can acknowledge that a lot of people enjoy the thrill of elaborate flavours and exceptional cooking methods, however it is often the acclamation of how delicious a meal is that draws the most satisfaction. If it truly is something you can enjoy on your own, the next question to ask would be, “Would this meal make me feel good about myself?”
Sometimes the most delicious of foods can actually jeopardise your health in different ways, for example fast food, heavily denatured proteins or heavily processed foods. Not all ‘good food’ is food that is good for you.
The food we eat should nourish our body and improve our overall wellbeing. If the food happens to taste good with the benefit of good nutrition, all the better, however the food need not aspire to be the most delicious or expensive to deliver the essential nutrients your body needs. It can most definitely be a difficult task to turn away from good taste, and I am by no means saying that if something tastes good it is bad for you. The intent of using this example of food is to propose an alternative view on our food choices and introducing or reminding you of some useful questions in deciding whether the complication of food is worth the hassle, as well as whether the possible ramifications of less healthy food is worth the short-term and quickly fleeting pleasure when eating.
In the end, good and well balanced eating habits, coupled with regular exercise and mindfulness is a fantastic approach to taking care of your body and mind, as well as improving your physical and spiritual health.
Now, with the section above using food as an example of how complexity has stirred up and complicated living, another relevant and significant example is the earning and spending of money. A controversial opinion could be that one requires to earn a certain amount of money or to own certain materials in order to find happiness in life. While there is some truth to this statement, to the majority of consumers, owning a large house, driving luxury cars and displaying designer clothes and accoutrements may be perceived as ‘living life to the fullest’, and that immense joy is to come if they were to indulge in those very expenditures. What comes with this baggage is having to earn lots of money just in order to afford such luxuries. But do these luxuries truly fulfil ourselves? Or is it merely fuelling our ego in order to make us feel better about ourselves?
I was once in this situation, where I was attracted to luxurious items once I began to earn more money, and felt like my wealth needed to be reflected by the clothes I wore. So I purchased an overpriced sweater and took pride because of the subtly displayed, but definitely noticeable, logo in knowing that other people would see me wearing such a brand of clothing. It didn’t take long at all until this sweater became just any ordinary article of clothing but with expensive branding. In fact, because of how expensive the item was at the time of purchase, and how easily it was to discolour and experience wear and tear due to the light-coloured material, I didn’t wear it often in fear of it getting ruined. So I really didn’t get much value out of the expensive sweater – is it really worth it to spend so much money on something if using it will become a persistent worry for you? This could apply to all kinds of items; shoes, bags, cars et cetera.
This experience occurred before I began my minimalist journey, however I have deliberately held on to this item to remind me of the impulsive and ill-reasoned decision, for I wish never to succumb to this social pressure again. Although I’m confident I wouldn’t fall back into this bad habit, I still have the sweater sitting in my closest unused for well over 18 months. It may be time to donate this to someone who will actually get value from my purchase.
In reality, the only reason one would need to earn excessive amounts of money, assuming all necessary expenses and care-taking costs were covered, would be to keep up with their unnecessary and excessive spending habits on expensive things. Some people may truly desire to live with luxury and it could bring them lots of happiness, however I have found that whenever one is able to contribute to a greater cause than solely themselves, with a greater reason behind their actions, that is when true joy can be found.
It is important to be able to discern whether you are putting your money to good use, and there is nothing wrong with spending extra in areas where you think true value can be added by spending more, however based on the Law of Diminishing Returns, there comes a point where spending any more than a certain amount on a particular item will struggle to provide you with any truly useful or substantial value, maybe other than social credit. But as a side note, a person most definitely can not be judged by material or their outward appearance to others.
To conclude, it is inevitably up to ourselves whether we want to take the necessary action and progressive steps to living a more fulfilling life. Whatever it may be that you want to achieve, ask yourself how important is it to you? How much do you want to achieve it? Is the unnecessary complexity taking away too much of your energy?
When you’re able to simplify your life in areas that don’t bring you as much joy, you make room for the things that truly matter to you.
Have a joyful day or night whenever you may be reading this, and take care.
The Aussie Minimalist
The Aussie Minimalist 