in may 2008, i chose to become a minimalist.  since then, i have begun to  ask myself questions like:

• what things in my home should i get rid of?
• how can i declutter this room?
• which articles of clothing in my closet should i give away?
• do i really need to purchase this item?
• how do i live contrary to the current consumer culture?
• how can i teach my children to not waste their money?

i know a young man in reynosa, mexico who is a minimalist not by choice.  he is a minimalist because he has to be.  contrary to my questions above, he asks himself questions like:

• how will i feed my family today?
• will my one-room home be large enough as my children grow?
• where will the money come from to clothe to my family tomorrow?
• how will i make an honest living in this capitalist, consumer-driven economy?
• how will my children be educated to read and write?

alex hopkins is a 17-year old young man who has given his spring and summer to help men and women in reynosa mexico who are minimalist - not because they choose to be, but because they are required to be. 

he has singlehandedly organized a fundraising bike ride named “Change Gears… Change Lives!“  the purpose of the ride is to raise money and awareness for the impoverished community of reynosa, mexico.  his goal is to raise $10,000 to build a feeding kitchen for the purpose of healthy meals, education, and emergency shelter.

i encourage you to find out more and make your tax-deductible donation at “Change Gears… Change Lives!” 

related posts:

• the most important gift catalog in the world
• benefits of minimalism #16 – financially support other causes

lately, i have been investigating the work of ernest becker (1924-1974), best known for two works: the denial of death and escape from evil.

becker weaves together a philosophy of humanity that is based on the premise that most of a person’s actions (life) is based on his or her fear of death.  he writes, “Of all things that move man, one of the principal ones is his terror of death.” 

to get even more specific, he contends that humanity’s greatest fear is to die without significance.  in escape from evil, he writes, “What man really fears is not so much extinction, but extinction with insignificance. Man wants to know that his life has somehow counted, if not for himself, then at least in a larger scheme of things, that it has left a trace, a trace that has meaning. And in order for anything once alive to have meaning, its effects must remain alive in eternity in some way.”

therefore, people begin to engage in “immortality projects” – any activity that will allow us to outlive our physical lives (or counteract the mortality that each of us fears).  by securing for ourselves “immortality symbols,” we are able to successfully defeat death and outlive our mortality.

becker writes that most people turn to wealth and possessions as their “immortality project.”  money gives power now – and, through accumulated property, land and interest, power in the future.”  no wonder minimalism is a foreign concept to so many people.  it battles against some of the very forces that make us human – even against the primal motivation of self-preservation.

this got me thinking… how then, do i strive to live as a minimalist?  how do i live a life that is not motivated by the accumulation of more and more possessions?  is it possible to live a life apart from the accumulation of these immortality symbols?

of course it is - the key is to find new “immortality projects.”  to make a conscience decision to not allow the “tyranny of the visible” to crowd out its invisible competitors.  so i choose to live out a life of significance by having integrity, being trustworthy, honest, and responsible.  i choose to touch the lives of others in meaningful ways by meeting their physical , emotional, and spiritual needs.  i choose to elevate others rather than myself.  i fight for justice and equality.  and above all else, i choose to communicate love.  in so doing, i impact the lives of others and outlive my own physical life.

by seeking these invisible “immortality symbols,” i address my need for significance and i satisfy my desire for immortality.  strive for immortality today.  just be sure to look for it somewhere other than your bank account.

ps – becker blames the world’s injustice and violence on humanity’s desire for wealth as an immortality symbol.  he writes “no wonder economic equality is beyond the imagination of modern, democratic man: the house, the car, the bank balance are his immortality symbols.”

related posts:

• keys to mental well-being
• goals move us and shape us

there are, of course, some days when it is entirely appropriate for even a minimalist to celebrate everything that we do have.  especially those that are ours because of the sacrifice of others.

happy easter.

over the past 45 days since we intentionally decided to become minimalist, i have had scores of conversations with people about our decision.  and it usually happens the same way…

my wife and i are sitting at a table with a group of people when one of our friends will say, “joshua, you should tell so-and-so about your minimalism decision.”  i am usually reluctant, but often oblige when so-and-so reiterates the question.  i try to begin as close to the beginning as possible (read it here) and take them through our journey while the parties ask questions along the way.  somewhere about half-way through, i inevitably find agreement on the part of the listeners. 

typically, they will respond with statements like, “i have so much stuff that i need to get rid of too,” or “you should see my basement, it’s a disaster,” or my favorite, “i can’t wait to get home and start throwing things away.”  a smaller percentage will email or post a comment the following day journaling the boxes of junk or bags of clothes that they have removed from their lives.

the attractiveness of minimalism (to date, only two men have outright determined that they would never get rid of their stuff) seems so universal that i can’t help think that this is the way life is meant to be lived and when a soul hears the invitation, it responds favorably.  we were never meant to live life accumulating stuff.  we were meant to live simply enjoying the experiences of life, the people of life, and the God of life - not the things of life.  i just wish it hadn’t taken me 33 years to figure that out.

related posts: possessions do not equal joy, the journey begins, a spiritual journey

total obedience is possible only when God has our supreme allegiance.  today we need to hear again that God alone is worthy of our worship and obedience.  the idolatry of affluence is rampant.  our greed for more dictates so many of our decisions.

the ten commandments begin with three staccato warnings against idolatry.  and the fourth commandment of the sabbath rest strikes at the heart of this everlasting itch to get ahead.  we find it so very hard to rest when, by working, we can get the jump on everyone else.  there is no greater freedom to lay down the heavy burden of getting ahead.

-richard j. foster

although i get a little nervous saying this, this path to become minimalist has become a spiritual journey for me.  i get nervous about that because i realize that this ups the anty in my journey.  before it was just about deliberating getting organized and choosing a new design style for my home.  but now it’s about living a life that is honoring to the God who created me.  choosing a design style, i’m okay if i screw that up.  but not honoring God with my life, that’s a mistake i want to stay away from…

dallas willard defined discipleship this way, “trying to live your life the way Jesus would live your life.”  i really like that.  it’s a helpful thought for me.  i don’t have to try and relive Jesus’ life exactly how he lived it – He already lived that life.  instead, i need to take the life that God has given to me and ask the question, “how would Jesus live it if he were living my life?”  with that in mind, i look around my home and wonder, “is this what Jesus’s house would look like if he were living my life?  would his closet look this full?  would his kitchen have this many gadgets?  would he have spent as much on home furnishings and decorations as i have?”  most of the time, i answer in the negative.

it seems to me the minimalist life is more in-tune with the life that Jesus would live.  and therefore, this journey has become very spiritual for me and that makes me excited and nervous.