On another note, I suppose there is one thing I'd like to say today. I understand that there is much commotion these days surrounding minimalists and minimalism. I would not call myself a minimalist. Though I strive to detach from things that our world produces, I'd like to say that minimalism should be the moon, and not the finger it is quite often mistaken for. It isn't good to obsess and compete about the things one owns, neither how much or how little. Minimalism inspires and drives many facets of my life, and I am appreciative of that. It is a marvelous tool that I may use to trim away the things that would otherwise cloud my vision or judgement, but it is my belief that becoming a minimalist should not be the goal.
When you choose to walk up one of two roads, you ought to consider a couple of things: which one looks more enjoyable or easier, and what effect might you feel from either one? You don't necessarily say, "this road is IT! I am finally on this road, my traveling is done!" No, I think the conditions of that road are what shape the experience of the road. If you'll pardon a simple road analogy, you'll see that my point is that it's easy to become captured by your own lifestyle and become caught up in universalizing everything. It's here that minimalism could be used well to remove that from your way. It has taken me a very long time to come to that, and was inspired by an essay by Mike Donghia.
I realize that there are noble and ignoble qualities to minimalism, as there are to virtually everything. It's wonderful because it may be the only tool that fixes itself over time, much like we do to ourselves!
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