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Extreme Minimalism: this guy owns just 15 things

andrewhy.de

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Re: Extreme Minimalism: this guy owns just 15 things

#101

Post by atourgates »

engblaze wrote: post #83
keiferski wrote: post #71

Having been a "minimalism-addict", I've come to the conclusion that the best part is the act of getting rid of things , not the act of having few things . Getting rid of junk is liberating; living with 15 things is just a pain in the ass.

Absolutely... the spirit of reducing waste and consumerism is admirable, but this guy is being ridiculous by claiming that he only owns "15 things". Not only is he missing the point, but his hyperbole is out of control. A toiletry kit is 1 item? Right. Bike Snob NYC has a hilarious post on Hyde if you haven't seen it: http://bikesnobnyc.blogspot.com/2011/05/paring-down-and-pair...

Ahh yes, I wondered if this was the same gentlemen who was the subject of so much fantastic BSNYC lampooning earlier this year.

It's worth noting that he hasn't stopped. http://bikesnobnyc.blogspot.com/2011/12/2011-year-walls-kept... is quite excellent, with such lines as, "So, being the good minimalist that he is, he immediately paid way too much for almost nothing."

I think the truth is somewhere between the two hyperboles. Gram Hill's minimalism as an overriding cause is taken to completely silly extremes. However, the principle of getting rid of shit you don't need (and better yet, not buying shit you don't need in the first place) is quite sound.

Re: Extreme Minimalism: this guy owns just 15 things

#102

Post by platz »

keiferski wrote: post #71

Having been a "minimalism-addict", I've come to the conclusion that the best part is the act of getting rid of things , not the act of having few things . Getting rid of junk is liberating; living with 15 things is just a pain in the ass.

Reminds me of Bruce Sterling's talk about the importance of having quality, physical things in your life http://video.reboot.dk/video/486788/bruce-sterling-reboot-11

Re: Extreme Minimalism: this guy owns just 15 things

#103

Post by nodata »

ctdonath wrote: post #72
nodata wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Laptop charger, phone charger, money to own washing powder to wash clothes. "Toiletry kit" is a cheat, so add: razor, shaving foam, blades, toothpaste, toothbrush, towel, shampoo, shower gel, etc. etc. etc.

He addressed that. Some "things" listed are a collection of parts which are pretty useless if incomplete. Are we going to enumerate the mechanical components of the computer down to screws, connectors, etc - some of which he could arguably live without? no. At some point we consider a collection of things a single whole thing. A puzzle is moot without all the pieces. Within reason, he's expanding that to include sepa…

If clothes are each separate objects, how is a toiletry kit not cheating?

Re: Extreme Minimalism: this guy owns just 15 things

#104

Post by drumdance »

jdietrich wrote: post #80

This isn't minimalism in any sense of the word, it's just a consumerist vanity. OP's 'minimalism' is sustained by a reliance upon huge amounts of infrastructure, most of it environmentally unsustainable. He doesn't carry stuff with him, but uses money to access what he needs. It's like claiming to be a minimalist because you own a second house where you keep all your stuff. OP outsources the burden of sustaining his…

(Disclosure: I know Andrew)

"Real minimalists?" What, is there like a club or something?

Unlike you, Andrew isn't engaging in a game of "shoulds" and "oughts." He's just experimenting with his lifestyle and learning from the process.

Re: Extreme Minimalism: this guy owns just 15 things

#105

Post by its_so_on »

michael_dorfman wrote: post #12

Most Buddhist monks could easily get under the "15 things" limit-- the standard list of possessions is: three robes, an alms bowl, a cloth belt, a needle and thread, a razor for shaving the head, and a water filter.

that's pretty good. source? with a wish-list like that what do they need alms for? I couldn't live without a toothbrush though.

Re: Extreme Minimalism: this guy owns just 15 things

#106

Post by drumdance »

DanBC wrote: post #17
waitwhat wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Mr. Hyde [...] is currently homeless I don’t have a permanent address Alex Hillman let me crash on his couch So basically: Homeless man has few possessions.

...and is lucky that he know people who do have houses, and houses big enough (with couches) who let him stay.

Yeah. Blind, random luck. It's not like he spent years building relationships with people and becoming the kind of guy that people like to have as a house guest.

Re: Extreme Minimalism: this guy owns just 15 things

#107

Post by drumdance »

kahawe wrote: post #47
giddas wrote: post #43

Amazing how offended some people seem to be by him omitting a few thing - who really cares

> Amazing how offended some people seem to be by him omitting a few thing - who really cares If I promise to give you 50 bucks for some software you wrote and then I only give you 10, you wouldn't be offended or complain, right?

Seriously? Clicking on a link with a vaguely misleading headline is the same as giving someone $50? Really?

Re: Extreme Minimalism: this guy owns just 15 things

#108

Post by drumdance »

technoslut wrote: post #68
gizmo wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I consider it a good thing when a person is extremely reasonable. Or extremely thoughtful. Or extremely honest. Or extremely patient. Or extremely gracious. We don't need balance in all things. A rocket only makes it safely to the moon if the engineers are extremely cautious. Bill Gates is extremely charitable. Einstein was extremely intelligent. The idea that "extreme X for any X" is bad is some sort of pseudo-wisdo…

I disagree somewhat. >Bill Gates is extremely charitable. This is following two decades of Bill Gates being extremely selfish. >Einstein was extremely intelligent. This is something different. Einstein was extremely intelligent in some areas but not all of them. It's been said that for anyone to become great at anything that it requires 10,000 hours of practice. This does take dedication and there is nothing wrong wi…

Please. You think Bill Gates made $50 billion by stealing it? Yeah, he was agressive, but not any more so than Steve Jobs, Scott McNealy or Larry Ellison would have been in the same position.

Re: Extreme Minimalism: this guy owns just 15 things

#109

Post by ceol »

drumdance wrote: post #104
jdietrich wrote: post #80

This isn't minimalism in any sense of the word, it's just a consumerist vanity. OP's 'minimalism' is sustained by a reliance upon huge amounts of infrastructure, most of it environmentally unsustainable. He doesn't carry stuff with him, but uses money to access what he needs. It's like claiming to be a minimalist because you own a second house where you keep all your stuff. OP outsources the burden of sustaining his…

(Disclosure: I know Andrew) "Real minimalists?" What, is there like a club or something? Unlike you, Andrew isn't engaging in a game of "shoulds" and "oughts." He's just experimenting with his lifestyle and learning from the process.

I think his approach to minimalism is kind of unique. He's essentially saying, "Cut all the unnecessary choices out of my life." The last paragraph sums it up nicely:

> Minimalism is equally easy as it is boring to do. What shirt today? The one I didn’t wear yesterday. “How tough is it for you?” You mean, to pick the shirt I didn’t wear yesterday? Once you get used to simplicity, the complex normality others have becomes the audacious thing.

However, don't get upset when someone calls him on his anti-ownership bullshit. He still owns things; he's just shoving the energy of owning things on to someone else.

I think owning less things is a good goal to have, but not the way he's approaching it. It should be spending less money on things, not spending more money on disposable things so you can technically say you don't own a lot.

Re: Extreme Minimalism: this guy owns just 15 things

#110

Post by ctdonath »

nodata wrote: post #103
ctdonath wrote: post #72

Earlier quoted context omitted.

He addressed that. Some "things" listed are a collection of parts which are pretty useless if incomplete. Are we going to enumerate the mechanical components of the computer down to screws, connectors, etc - some of which he could arguably live without? no. At some point we consider a collection of things a single whole thing. A puzzle is moot without all the pieces. Within reason, he's expanding that to include sepa…

If clothes are each separate objects, how is a toiletry kit not cheating?

Because a toiletry kit is a set of [consumable, replaceable] parts, used pretty much all at once (same 20-minute process every day), where each component is not often chosen over an equivalent. I'll go thru a half-dozen shirts throughout the week (and society will object if I stick to just one), but nobody will care if I use the same toothpaste/toothbrush/floss/razor/foam/shampoo/soap/washcloth every day for years (replaced only when used up, and then replaced with the same product).

We have a variety of clothes as separate objects, as they are interchangeable (society objects if I _don't_ swap 'em on a daily basis), and can get by without some because there are others present as replacements.

In support of your point, it's a matter of where the line is drawn as a practical application to the scenario. While the kit may be considered a unit wherein parts really are part of the same non-interchangeable application (well, at least for us Y-chromosome types) and for purposes of this example isn't broken down further, the reverse may be applied. Rather than a given shirt considered a single object, by defined convention it could be considered a part of a complete outfit. Having so few pieces to interchange - say, the dress shirt not an acceptable match to the swim shorts - he could reduce the total count by considering sandals/jeans/polo a single unit as none of that stuff much goes with anything else he has.

To wit: that's just where he drew the line between things forming a unit and things counted separate but used together.

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