She writes alot...
This is another arictle she submitted.
Cheers to Living Moderately
-Alexandra Hoefinger
"We could be richer than industry as long as we know that there's things that we don't really need." Other than a slight grammatical error, that line from Willy Mason's song "Oxygen," is brilliant, I say. It extols the simple logic of minimalism that is frequently abandoned or not even considered at all. We as a population are obsessed with having and buying and consuming more things that lead to excess. Its the entire concept of "more" that does us in. Its no new breakthrough that for many people, material goods are the key to inner happiness and self-content. But wouldn't it be lovely if we could all just quit complaining, give more than we take, and reach the frame of mind in which we realize that we've already got everything we need?
I think it comes down to a necessary shift of values, from continuous desire to acquire quantities to an appreciation of anti-consumerism. Its about simply being pleased with what we have and just not wanting more to begin with. Its not like some torturous crash diet in which you still want what you're not letting yourself have, that's just an unhealthy mode of self-restraint.
A few months ago I read an article about a married couple that, for one full year, did not go shopping or purchase any luxury items like movie tickets, hotel rooms, jewelry, etc. They didn't even buy cups of coffee. Obviously they purchased simple food and necessary goods to sustain basic, healthy lifestyles; they just didn't buy any extra frills. I thought this was an amazing accomplishment and it inspired me to test out that same plan for just one month.
It was quite difficult and it did require a bit of brain work at first but in the end it really did make me realize how little I really do need to buy. As expected, I saved substantial amount of money by not spending it on stupid, disposable shit like cups of chai latte, semi-ugly dresses at the Salvation Army, and crappy movies at the mall. This test of anti-consumerism and minimalism also lent itself to an increased value of engaging in real human interaction and relationships. We played a lot of old board games and used our imaginations to stimulate entertainment. Anyway I'm not trying to toot my own horn, I certainly wasn't as successful in living as minimally as I originally set out to do, but it did open my eyes wide to tides of new appreciation for simple things.
Not everyone can or should surrender all of his or her goods in order to adopt the life of a monk or a nun. But living moderately with less excess baggage and making due with what is already there seems to be a morally satisfying way to get by. We have so much that we take for granted. Its long past time that we consider giving more than we take and loving more than we hate.
Cheers to Living Moderately
-Alexandra Hoefinger
"We could be richer than industry as long as we know that there's things that we don't really need." Other than a slight grammatical error, that line from Willy Mason's song "Oxygen," is brilliant, I say. It extols the simple logic of minimalism that is frequently abandoned or not even considered at all. We as a population are obsessed with having and buying and consuming more things that lead to excess. Its the entire concept of "more" that does us in. Its no new breakthrough that for many people, material goods are the key to inner happiness and self-content. But wouldn't it be lovely if we could all just quit complaining, give more than we take, and reach the frame of mind in which we realize that we've already got everything we need?
I think it comes down to a necessary shift of values, from continuous desire to acquire quantities to an appreciation of anti-consumerism. Its about simply being pleased with what we have and just not wanting more to begin with. Its not like some torturous crash diet in which you still want what you're not letting yourself have, that's just an unhealthy mode of self-restraint.
A few months ago I read an article about a married couple that, for one full year, did not go shopping or purchase any luxury items like movie tickets, hotel rooms, jewelry, etc. They didn't even buy cups of coffee. Obviously they purchased simple food and necessary goods to sustain basic, healthy lifestyles; they just didn't buy any extra frills. I thought this was an amazing accomplishment and it inspired me to test out that same plan for just one month.
It was quite difficult and it did require a bit of brain work at first but in the end it really did make me realize how little I really do need to buy. As expected, I saved substantial amount of money by not spending it on stupid, disposable shit like cups of chai latte, semi-ugly dresses at the Salvation Army, and crappy movies at the mall. This test of anti-consumerism and minimalism also lent itself to an increased value of engaging in real human interaction and relationships. We played a lot of old board games and used our imaginations to stimulate entertainment. Anyway I'm not trying to toot my own horn, I certainly wasn't as successful in living as minimally as I originally set out to do, but it did open my eyes wide to tides of new appreciation for simple things.
Not everyone can or should surrender all of his or her goods in order to adopt the life of a monk or a nun. But living moderately with less excess baggage and making due with what is already there seems to be a morally satisfying way to get by. We have so much that we take for granted. Its long past time that we consider giving more than we take and loving more than we hate.
posted by Strive for Change at 9:47 PM
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