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Minimalism conceals the messy realities of society

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Re: Minimalism conceals the messy realities of society

#11

Post by laurentdc »

DubiousPusher wrote: post #4

Two ideas which often I encounter together yet I have grown to find incompatible are self reliance and minimalism. If you wish to become more self reliant i.e. more able to handle for yourself rather than through another's labor the impositions you create in the world, you will find yourself needing to masters, access and eventual own many more tools and material. My father, a man capable of building or repairing alm…

I've always thought at its extreme minimalism is for those who are rich enough they can buy two/three of everything (including houses and cars). So if anything goes bad you just have a replacement ready. Everyone else better have a soldering iron, a good set of mechanic tools and boxes of spare parts

Re: Minimalism conceals the messy realities of society

#12

Post by DubiousPusher »

cheez wrote: post #8
DubiousPusher wrote: post #4

Two ideas which often I encounter together yet I have grown to find incompatible are self reliance and minimalism. If you wish to become more self reliant i.e. more able to handle for yourself rather than through another's labor the impositions you create in the world, you will find yourself needing to masters, access and eventual own many more tools and material. My father, a man capable of building or repairing alm…

What is poverty in this respect?

Not necessarily a lack of wealth but a decrease in the material quality of life we take for granted.

For example, most people take having bread for granted. If you wish to become minimalist, the best way to attain bread is to buy it. If you wish to become self reliant then you must possess ingredients and tools for making bread such as flour, yeast, a pan and an oven. To be minimalist and self reliant you must forgo bread and eat instead for grain something like wetted millet.

Re: Minimalism conceals the messy realities of society

#13

Post by gdubs »

In terms of art, paintings used to be like windows into a world. Then, with modernists, paintings became less about make a picture (something the new technology of photography could do better anyway), and more about the object itself — paint on a canvas, hung on a wall. When art critics were talking about the “flatness” of a painting, that’s what they meant. The “flatter” the painting, the truer it was to itself — just a canvas covered in paint. Eventually becoming so flat that you’ve got a white canvas in a white gallery. Sculpture followed a similar trajectory.

In terms of Marie Kondo and decluttering, or Zen — I’d say there’s a difference between minimal and essential. One is an aesthetic exercise, the other is a goal of finding that point where it’s “just right”, no more, no less.

Re: Minimalism conceals the messy realities of society

#14

Post by DubiousPusher »

laurentdc wrote: post #11
DubiousPusher wrote: post #4

Two ideas which often I encounter together yet I have grown to find incompatible are self reliance and minimalism. If you wish to become more self reliant i.e. more able to handle for yourself rather than through another's labor the impositions you create in the world, you will find yourself needing to masters, access and eventual own many more tools and material. My father, a man capable of building or repairing alm…

I've always thought at its extreme minimalism is for those who are rich enough they can buy two/three of everything (including houses and cars). So if anything goes bad you just have a replacement ready. Everyone else better have a soldering iron, a good set of mechanic tools and boxes of spare parts

Yes, that or a high amount of liquid wealth that you can use to pay for other people to use their tools for you.

Re: Minimalism conceals the messy realities of society

#15

Post by hanniabu »

awat wrote: post #10

In general I can appreciate the general tenets of minimalism. It may be just my own pessimism but it’s seems to becoming a movement that requires you to get rid of things and buy new “minimalist” items to replace them.

True to a degree and dependent on the person. Personally I'm making it a long term goal so I'm only changing things as the time comes. For example both my computer and laptop were super old and finally my laptop gave out so I sold my desktop and just invested in a laptop that could do the job of both. My tv was also old and didn't have an app store or anything a modern smart tv would have seemed I didn't have a proper monitor for my computer only one of those squares ones you'll likely find at your town's library so I invested in a new monitor which I could also use to replace my tv. There's still a lot I want to do such as go through my clothes and kitchen equipment but I anticipate I'll be changing jobs and moving soon so I'll not making any changes there until I know what I'll be doing and where I'll be living.

There's also many degrees to minimalism. My objective is being able to fit everything I own in a studio apartment without clutter. Others have the goal of being able to fully everything in an 80L backpack. Others just want to go into their basement without tripping over storage.

Re: Minimalism conceals the messy realities of society

#16

Post by hanniabu »

laurentdc wrote: post #11
DubiousPusher wrote: post #4

Two ideas which often I encounter together yet I have grown to find incompatible are self reliance and minimalism. If you wish to become more self reliant i.e. more able to handle for yourself rather than through another's labor the impositions you create in the world, you will find yourself needing to masters, access and eventual own many more tools and material. My father, a man capable of building or repairing alm…

I've always thought at its extreme minimalism is for those who are rich enough they can buy two/three of everything (including houses and cars). So if anything goes bad you just have a replacement ready. Everyone else better have a soldering iron, a good set of mechanic tools and boxes of spare parts

There's plenty you can get done with a basic variety of tools. There's also different levels of minimalism, but yes at it's extreme I'd agree.

Re: Minimalism conceals the messy realities of society

#17

Post by skylarchunk »

As a political science student, I am compelled to point the allure of minimalism to the Greco-Athenian ideal of being self-sustaining (to a fair degree). The lack of material possession suggests, to others, that one is complete and satisfied in their seemingly ideal state.

Re: Minimalism conceals the messy realities of society

#20

Post by DubiousPusher »

hanniabu wrote: post #16
laurentdc wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've always thought at its extreme minimalism is for those who are rich enough they can buy two/three of everything (including houses and cars). So if anything goes bad you just have a replacement ready. Everyone else better have a soldering iron, a good set of mechanic tools and boxes of spare parts

There's plenty you can get done with a basic variety of tools. There's also different levels of minimalism, but yes at it's extreme I'd agree.

I'd say there a lot you can get by with using a basic variety of tools. The minute you delve into really fixing modern equipment back to factory standards the need absolutely explodes.
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