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Minimalism is the New Materialism
My Story of Stuff
Minimalism is the new materialism and there’s no greater evidence of a cultural shift in values and consumption than the empty McMansions sitting on the market. Not enough home-buyers equate fake mansions with achieving the American Dream anymore. They’re too big, too beige, and too generic. They are the worst of American consumptionism — big but poorly designed and built on the cheap, expensive but not valuable.
When I first saw The Story of Stuff something shifted in my vision of my future life. Everything I own must serve a purpose. I don’t need to swear a vow of poverty or austerity but a vow of intentionality.
Of course Nas Daily’s Nuseir Yassin says it well. Consider his Mountain Test.
“Just because you have space in your home for it doesn’t mean you have space in your life for it.” — Nuseir Yassin
Instead of one backpack, however, I have four suitcases. One large, one medium and two expandable carry-ons. If you see someone pushing a stack of four suitcases on a cart at the airport that is an exorbitant amount of materialism for someone on vacation. But if you’re moving, it’s surprising to see how fast kitchen appliances take up limited space.
