When we moved halfway across the country in 2013, I was so horrified by the amount of crap we had accumulated (once all pulled out and packed up). When my husband and I got our first apartment 4 years prior, we had a bed, 2 boxes of clothes and that was about it. 4 years later, we had a 13' Uhaul full of I don't even know what. As my hubby (who would most definitely be a minimalist if it weren't for me and my slightly hoarder tendencies) so bluntly pointed out at some point of me being extremely frustrated by this revelation, I was using all this material junk to fill emotional voids [from some bad things that happened in my past]. He was 100% correct.

When I started transitioning to raw over last summer, it really gave me a push to get very serious with the getting rid of junk (and boy did I!). It's almost become addictive/too easy to get rid of stuff now and I'm loading up yet another batch of stuff to go to the goodwill (after thinking about whether or not to keep it for a few months). The raw diet really seems to not just be making me healthier in the physical sense, but also healing me in the mental and emotional sense. I'm happier and do not feel the need to have excessive material possessions to feel happy and fulfilled. I've noticed a shift to being more appreciative of the things that TRULY matter to me- my wonderful husband, my beautiful bird, the area we live in and foods that make me feel nourished... It's like going raw and minimalist went hand in hand. Wondering if anyone else experienced that kind of parallel change in lifestyle after going raw?

Dara, Dantheman, and Tannyraw seem to share your view but their livelihoods center around the internet. If they had many outside of food interests and employments that required "stuff" or were interested in collecting wonderful things which inspire artistic endeavors I think they would be very unhappy with that route they've chosen.

Minimalist rooms and homes look cold, generic, and dead IMO. I always have been startled when I've walked into homes like that. It's like nobody lives there or is doing anything and decorator's decorated with no input. Boring.

I'm not interested in stark minimalism (the design style you refer to) or restricting myself into "owning 100 items" or "being able to pack all my belongings in a backpack". I have bright and colorful furniture (an eclectic assortment of garage sale/thrift store/free by the side of the road finds I've refinished/repainted/reupholstered and really love) and I've kept things I feel add value to my life. What I've gotten rid of is things that I do not need/use/want. That junk that serves no purpose, wasn't being used or enjoyed at all, but for some reason was really really hard to get rid of.

For example, I wear about 10 outfits regularly during the summer and another 10 during the winter, so why did I need an entire closet overflowing with clothes I rarely or never wore? Why did I need 25 jackets? Or 20 pairs of shoes when I only ever wore about 5? I didn't, and what wasn't being used (barring a few sentimental/special occasion items) I got rid of. Or having a bunch of 'decorative' knick knacks everywhere that was so overwhelming you'd miss the one or two that were really special or I particularly liked the look of. Or having tons of 'leftover' supplies from past sewing and crafts projects that would never be reused or was highly unlikely to be reused was a good amount of clutter gotten rid of. Or having more than one set of every day dishes and one set of formal dishes when we are 2 people who rarely have guests over was just ridiculous, as were many of the cute but unnecessary kitchen crap I loved bringing home. That's the kind of minimalist attitude/goals I've been working on, not stripping our home devoid of everything we like. Quite the opposite really, I feel it allows us to appreciate the things we like/use even more

And as someone who sews, refinishes furniture and does a variety of miscellaneous craft projects, I have always found clutter to be most uninspiring personally. It has always felt like a big black cloud of guilt and burden that impedes my creativity. I'm sure not everyone feels that way, but I *personally* have felt a million times more creative since beginning to declutter than before, especially since the things that remain are things that *truly* inspire me or have aesthetic value.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/21/2015 07:08PM by Kiwibird.

I try to accumulate very little. My furniture came from the death of my parents and my sister. I bought a grand piano, though. It takes up the entire living room.

But I have next to nothing in terms of knick knacks.

I have many books and music cds.

I have garden equipment for the yard. Ladder, mower, blower, hedger, etc.

I am down to 4 pairs of shoes. Half of them are sneakers! I have a lot of hoodies, hand-me-downs from friends. I have more clothes than what I need. Haven't brought myself to part with all the suits I never wear anymore.

It's too much.

And yet people tell me my house is completely empty. I'd like for it to be even emptier of "stuff" while filled with love.

Yes. Simpler is better. One day I will move out of my house and just use it to store my few belongings and live and sleep outside every night, but that day is not here yet. Too many things need to be done first.

The more you have, the more you are afraid of losing. Material possessions don't bring peace of mind, they bring fear! When you learn to get by on little all of that fear goes away.

Clutter from too many possessions will also interrupt the energy flow in the house and lead to stagnation.

I like my stuff. I don't mind throwing other people's stuff out though.

Hahahaha

Yes, the raw food diet does greatly reduce one's desire for material objects, and enlightenment along with strong meditation can eliminate the desire for materialism.

I have always dreamed on a minimalist room with pretty much nothing in it except for a meditation cushion, living foods and a bookshelf (I think Dr Jubb had/has a room like that). I don't want my mind to be stimulated by materialism,l want a boring room that will make me focus on meditating and doing research.

The danger of materialism is that it can control us, so it is important to get to a point where we don't buy too much into it. Sometimes it is nice to have something well made from a master craftsman, but the key is see it for what it is and don't spend all your life thinking about it and working to get more stuff.

Have a few nice things, enjoy them and get on with your life. For me there are a few things one should spend good money on, and that is a bed, mattress and footwear...no expense spared...quality craftsmanship is important with these things...all custom made by small workshops, and certainly more intimate than cold purchases from a shop that bought cold sterile goods made in a factory. Wear something made with love and sleep on something made with love. We have to wear shoes all day, so get something made to fit you and to last a lifetime so they mold to your feet over decades and become old friends. We sleep much of our lives, so make the bed and mattress a winner! A careful selection of quality clothing items and footwear can make up much of the closet where one can mix and match and therefore reduce the need for large amounts of clothing.

Yes Living Food, sleeping outside each night is still something l am working on. Btw, your post was very good.

www.thesproutarian.com

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Yes Living Food, sleeping outside each night is still something l am working on.

There's three feet of snow outside my window now, so now is likely not a good time for me to begin

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Btw, your post was very good.

Thank you.

Materialism (avarice) is very dangerous because you are placing dead, illusory things as the center of your existence instead of the Divine. Materialism leads to fear, greed, and many other sins.


If you live a simple life and have no attachments to physical things, what will you fear? But if you see wealth and possessions as very important and their acqusition as the ultimate goal of life, then you will always live in fear of losing what you have and being cast out onto the street. This leads to greed, deception, lying and stealing...anything goes so long as it helps you to acquire more wealth. Everyone else is your competitor in the race to riches, so you need to take every opportunity to hurt and hinder them so that they don't end up getting what could be yours. As for charity and giving to those less fortunate than you, you don't have the time for such sentimental pursuits. Why would you give away your hard-earned money???

We focus so much on making money so that we can afford a roof over our head or food on the table...don't you recognize that this all stems from fear? Fear of not having enough, fear of catastrophe, fear of life itself...what darkness and fear we live in. When you live in the light and live to serve others you don't know these fears because you know for a fact that you will be provided for. We are taught that we need to put ourselves first and be in competition with people for resources or we will end up in poverty, but nothing could be further from the truth. From focus on self comes fear and suffering, but focus on others and the infinite wealth of Heaven will rain down upon you. This wealth isn't in the form of money, but it is in the form of blessings and that is the ultimate currency of the cosmos. 

When you're looking around for someone who needs improvement, focus always on yourself. When you're looking around for someone to help, focus always on others. The problem is that most people get these two things reversed out of delusion and false beliefs.



Do God's work and you will be taken care of always.

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This wealth isn't in the form of money, but it is in the form of blessings and that is the ultimate currency of the cosmos.

What is money, anyway? All money is is a way to acquire material things. Well...material things are nice for the short time that we are here, but after we die it all gets left behind. Luckily for us we can also acquire "spiritual dollars" in the form of spiritual blessings and good karma. It's like my reaction when I hear people talking about wanting to live to very old ages: Why? The body decays, but the soul lives forever. Isn't it more important to work on improving the soul then focusing on prolonging the time you inhabit this particular body? Likewise, doesn't it make much more sense to focus on acquiring a kind of wealth that will stay with you forever instead of acquiring the physical money that you can only enjoy for a few short decades? A hundred years is the blink of an eye in terms of the lifespan of the soul. A large physical bank account is worthless to our true selves (beings of light), but any deposits we make into our spiritual bank accounts will help us for eternity.

If you work hard in the material, you will earn material money to acquire material goods. If you work hard in the spiritual (the work of self-perfection), you will earn spiritual wealth just as surely. Material wealth may manifest itself as such possessions as houses and cars and many other amenities - spiritual wealth manifests as kindness, unconditional love, goodwill to all, forbearance, peace, radiant joy, and bliss unending. Which would you rather have? People can have all the best things money can buy yet still be very unhappy. People can be dirt poor yet live life full of joy and peace. This is because the two forms of wealth - spiritual and material - are separate from one another...and only one of them brings happiness.

The work of spiritual cultivation makes this life full of joy and peace. It's not about focusing on some "unrealized next life"...it's the only way to true happiness in this life. We don't worry about the next life, we are content to be content in the here and now and take everything as it comes.

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just live in la la land.

The highly spiritual people would be the only ones NOT living in la la land ...la la land is the land of materialism and possessions, it's a dead world and the world of the Devil. The crucial thing is that while our body inhabits the dead world, our soul can be soaring in the heavens. Do the work required of you in the physical, but focus always on the spiritual and the divine and you will be full of peace no matter what comes.

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Just forget about history, forget about the Main reason why we're here, forget about all the wars, the crusades, the inquisition, the persecutions, the slavery, the mass murders, the massacres, the lies, the truths, forget about Everything.

The most important thing is to remember why we're here. We are here to advance spiritually through a difficult physical life and physical interactions. Almost everyone has forgotten that on this planet and many people's goal is just to amass as much material wealth as possible because they think that's all there is, but they will realize the truth some day. After they have gone through countless lives of struggling for fame and wealth they will have built up enough wisdom to realize that these things are not desirable at all and will be ready to begin a more spiritual path. As I said above, money and outside things CANNOT bring happiness, only inner peace and joy can. People are deluded into thinking they would be happier if they could just afford a house instead if an apartment, and then if they could just afford an even bigger house, and then if they could just afford a mansion...they think they will be happy once they have gotten what they want, but it doesn't work that way because once they have it they will just want more. Unhappiness and discontentment come from the desire for outside things. It's so simple a preschooler should be able to understand it - wanting things that you don't have leads to being unsatisified with what you do have. Giving up the desire for possessions and material goods means you will always be happy because you will be content with what you have. Outside circumstances can NEVER make you unhappy or upset you, only your opinion of and reaction to them can. By this we can readily see that if you want to be happy, the way to get it is not by changing your outside circumstances...it's by changing your inner self. When you have reached the point where you have perfect peace and are happy no matter what happens to you, when praise and insults, good things and bad things all effect you equally, then life becomes a dream and you realize how silly it is to put material things on a pedestal and dedicate much of your life to striving for more and more of them.

Don't focus on the money, don't focus on the negative circumstances, just focus on improving yourself and everything you need will come to you. Improve yourself a little more, and you will realize that you already have everything you could ever need.

Habitat loss is the biggest destroyer of nature, plants and animals. The factories, mines, buildings, roads, farms, orchards, livestock, all destroy habitat and hence nature. And the more stuff you have, the bigger your nature destroying footprint is.

But to live as part of the modern world you need alot of stuff, computer, phone, car, house, etc. And if your're raising children you need to raise them for the modern world. But all that stuff really does lead to the destruction of alot of nature, animals and plants.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/05/2015 06:10PM by brome.