The Minimalism Dilemma: How Much Is Too Much?

When it comes to the idea of being too minimalist, in my opinion, it depends on the individual and could be subjective, and my reasons for saying that aren't far-fetched. I see this as something that could be a thing due to an individual's lifestyle and preferences towards decluttering. This is said because when you take a look at most minimalists, one thing you'll notice is their act of decluttering and prioritizing things that matter, while on the other hand, you'll see people who take this to the extreme.

Personally, for me as a minimalist, I tend to put my eggs in the things that matter; that's priotizing simplicity, getting the things I really need, and not just going for everything I want or everything those around me have. This act, in my opinion, gives me a stress-free life because I won't have to struggle with moving from one region to another or maybe choosing clothes to wear from the cupboard and the like, but that doesn't mean I'll, because I want to be a minimalist, now deprive myself of some basic needs.

The difference between living a simple and intentional lifestyle of minimalism and someone who's living a lifestyle that deprives themselves of basic necessities and comfort is that when you start to declutter based on necessities that wouldn't make your life better and easier, then I think such a person is taking the minimalist lifestyle to the extreme.

I remember several years ago, when I was an undergraduate at the university, I used to live in the same hostel with a minimalist just like myself. The only difference is that his way of life as a minimalist is quite out of the ordinary; this guy literally deprived himself of the basics that would make him have a healthier life and also enhanced his academics, all in the name of being a minimalist who doesn't want to spend money anyhow or living a declutter lifestyle.

I mean, come to think of it, most lecturers back then sold handouts and booklets that were to help us study further while we were off campus. This particular guy would say the book would just eat up space, and at the end of the following semester, such a book would become useless, so because of that, he won't buy those. Fast forward to during the examination period, and you'll see the same guy begging other students who purchased the booklet to lend him so he can read, but as you know, no one would be willing to let go of a book to read during the exam.

And at the end of the examination, when the results came out, this guy carried over about three courses and had to redo them the following year. It is quite disheartening that some people take this minimalist lifestyle to the extreme, at the expense of their lives, academic performance, and careers. There were other life-threatening decisions this guy made that almost cost him his life, like saying,

Everything isn't about food, and so he started eating mostly once per day, saying he could save such money for other purposes in the future. To make a long story short, he ended up in the hospital when he was diagnosed with an ulcer and other relatable illnesses due to his intentional act of starving himself.

He learned the hard way and had to adjust his extreme minimalist lifestyle to progress in his academics and also improve his health. Now, it's worthy of noting that not all extreme minimalists would have to pay with failure or bad health conditions, but in the end, if we view it from another perspective, such is a failure in any aspect they deprived themselves of basic things that's important all in the name of taking minimalism to the next level.

So with the above experience I shared, it's one way I get this ideology, and I start to see that minimalism should be a force that impacts my life for the better and does not restrict me from getting what I need. Being a minimalist doesn't mean I've deprived myself of comfort that makes my life better; instead, it helps me to stick with what matters and still not clutter my space.

Another reason why I have this ideology that there are people who take minimalism to the extreme is because I've seen it firsthand. Such a lifestyle leads to isolation because most of those who indulge tend to lose their social connections, as most people don't want to associate themselves with them. It's not like we need to have a large number of social networks, but it's good to have some so as to stay up-to-date and also for our mental wellbeing.

In a nutshell, we should understand that while being minimalist helps us to stay mindful and also give priority to the things that matter, we shouldn't, because of that, take it to the extreme. There should be a form of moderation in everything we do, and flexibility to adapt to some changes would help improve our lives and well-being as minimalists.

That's my two cents on the subject matter. I hope you enjoyed the read and learned something. Do leave your opinion in the comments section.

Thanks so much for your time. Have a wonderful day, and stay blessed.

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Note: Both photo is mine and was captured with my Redmi note 9.*

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