Addition by subtraction
Less is more
How having less can lead to being more.
To have or to be
We live in a consumer society, where we’re stimulated continuously to strive for more. We hear it all around us: the sky's the limit and your only limitations are the ones you put upon yourself. Although I believe this growth mindset can be fruitful, the means by which we’re taught to reach these heights can be just as toxic.
All of this stems back to a very important question posed by German philosopher Erich Fromm in his book To have or to be (1976): Do we choose to live in order to obtain the latest products, or to grow into real human BEINGS?
Karl Marx put it right by saying:
“The less you are, the more you have; the less you express your own life, the greater is your alienated life.”
Less is more, as paradoxical as it might sound. Clearing out the things we don’t need gives us more space to simply be. As you declutter your life of the fluff it becomes simpler. I’m not denouncing a life of possessions or ideas, instead I’m trying to figure out how to live a richer and lighter life.
For the last few years, I’ve been trying to apply this principle to my own reality. I’ve noticed that it’s applicable to a lot of facets of daily life. In this blog I’ll go over where and how it impacted me, and how it could bring a change in your interaction with the world.
Goal setting
We’re often led in life by the goals we set out to achieve. How we envision ourselves, and which goal we want to attain, is a very powerful force that drives us forward. I’m a true believer that every goal (within reality) is attainable. Yet, I also believe that the magnitude of our dreams can be paralysing and withhold us from taking that next step.
In order to move a mountain, you have to break it down into manageable tasks. It’s only by knowing what your goals are, that you can move confidently in the right direction. From there, it’s just a matter of putting one foot in front of the other. Sounds awfully simple if you put like that, right? Well, applying it in real life is quite the opposite.
We often try to jump ahead to our end goal, without taking the necessary steps in between. Advancement (aka growth) on your path needs to be sustainable. If you leap too far forward, you’ll lose your balance and will fall back to square one.
So try to start small. As small as you can. Put up a “micro-goal” that’s so easily attainable it’s almost ridiculous.
Don’t let your ego stop you from taking a small step forward.
Less is truly more. Since big steps forward consist of repeated small ones. That’s why it’s better to focus on taking one small step at a time. And always remember that an object in motion likes to remain in motion. Moving slow is a whole lot more than not moving at all.
More ideas through less thinking
Critical thinking is a vital element to apply the less-is-more-principle into our lives. Being a slave to your mind, you can’t decide anything.
If you can’t control your thoughts, your thoughts end up controlling you.
The thoughts that then occupy your brain space stem largely from two origins. On the one hand, the capitalistic influence (aka marketing) that’s feeding us with needs we don’t really need. On the other hand, social comparison. We want what another has in an attempt to be more like them.
This pollution of the mental garden doesn’t leave space for original ideas. Our intuition gets muffled and our critical thinking is shut down.
To quiet down the din of modern life we need to learn how to listen again. Meditation is an excellent way to filter out the noise. When the inner chatter starts to quiet down, your truth will come up.
Original ideas are rare to begin with, but if you always live in constant noise, they’ll pass you by without notice. Less thinking leads to better thinking. As the mental fog starts to clear you’ll be reacquainted with your intuition. If you can distinguish your inner voice from the rest, it’ll lead you to all the answers you truly seek.
More value through less stuff
The minimalist-lifestyle was believed to be a fad, but proved to be more than that. In a capitalistic society that needs constant growth, materialism is pushed unto us. Buy more stuff every chance you get, live a lavish life up in the clouds, have a pair of shoes for every day of the month and fill an endless void of unattainable happiness. That’s perhaps a tad bit extreme.
The truth is that no stuff will make you truly happy.
Neurologically speaking, it’s only the release of the right chemicals that’ll bring a smile on your face. The more stuff you collect, the less value it has. And there lies the main issue. The things you own should have value, above anything else. Function over form. The more things you have that are you truly love, the more value those things will have, and the less crap you’ll collect.
Things have the tendency to keep us in place. That’s a big reason why backpackers experience such profound freedom. They carry only the essentials, knowing that all extras will be just weight slowing them down.
“The less you are, the more you have” can thus be flipped around to “the less you have, the more you are.”
Quality over quantity.
Yearning for this “endless more” has made us superficial. Things, humans and events have become dispensable. Nothing is truly valuable anymore. If something/someone isn’t “good enough” there’s another thing waiting in line to replace it.
Depth has become a wasteland, marginalised by the fast lanes of junk culture. To cross these terrains it takes patience, guts, and hope. It’s only by crossing and reaching the other side that you learn it isn’t about having that next thing/place/person. It’s about the crossing, and the transformation it brings forth in you trying to get there. How deep you go in the moment, the object or the relationship defines how much value you’ll reap out of it.
Looking for more is easy, because you can always find it. But you can’t retrieve what you lost by trying to find it. Whatever is gone, is gone, and whatever will come, will come. Only the full experience of gratitude for the present moment can free you from the shackles of this monstrous More.
Blog out,
Durim, Méribel
