craigmcn

Minimalism, Simplicity, and Moderation

Alrighty, so yesterday I read a post at miss minimalist about 100 Things I Don’t Own. When I went back today to review it and write this post, I found it had been removed. Which is too bad. Regardless of the response, I think that if that’s what she wanted to say, then she should have said it and stood by it. But who am I to judge?

The point of my post remains the same. Miss Minimalist lives without a number of things, in my opinion, just for the sake of it. No dining room table or chairs (coffee table and floor), no couch (see previous), no art (bare walls). Granted, she lives in a 500-square-foot apartment and space is an issue, but that seems more like an excuse than a reason.

I’m all for minimizing possessions, but within reason. There was a response to the post, or a later post or something, where someone said they don’t own camera and prefer to live in the moment. Really? And 20 years from now when you’d like to reminisce about a great event or an awesome experience, or share it with your kids? Too bad, impossible; you’d better be a great storyteller.

So, indeed, while I go through the exercise of simplifying my life, I may be digitizing my music and photos, selling or giving away my CDs, cassette tapes, and books, and scanning documents or receiving them digitally. But I won’t stop taking pictures, or collecting art, or listening to music, or generally acquiring things. I will give a little more consideration to what I’m acquiring and why, but I’ll stick to the saying, “Moderation in everything, including moderation.” How ’bout you?

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