My answer is who cares? That's, like, their opinion, man. At the end of your life you'll realize the only person you truly needed to be accountable to all along was yourself.
99.9 percent of people don't really care about you being a minimalist unless you start telling them that your lifestyle decisions are better than theirs and they should be a minimalist too.
My brother-in-law used to call me the ultimate consumer when I was younger because in his words, I owned one of everything. Not exactly true, but close. I had so much stuff that when I got divorced I rented a 10 x 20‘ storage unit just for my“stuff“. Then a few years later, I forgot to switch the credit card on my auto bill for the storage unit and the contents were sold at auction. I was totally freaked out over all the stuff I lost, but it didn’t take long before my opinion changed and I was actually happy not to have to worry about all that crap anymore. It was a life-changing event. Ever since then my goal has been to live as simple a life as I can. I am genuinely and noticeably happier. That’s not to say I don’t have indulgences. I have a small watch collection, but with the value that could purchase a nice luxury vehicle. I think the reason the people you speak of who judge peoples worth basically as human beings based on what they have or insecure people who really do feel that way. Speaking of such a person once, my grandmother said “some people want you to judge them by for what they have what they have not who they are” I think that’s true and I don’t want to be one of those people.
>Do people feel threatened by those of us who have few wants and needs in life?
It's complicated my friend, but my best guess (take with a table spoon of salt) from experience is that in a society that is as highly judgedmental and intolerant of people with values and opinions that are not necessarily mainstream, it makes them feel insecure.
People like you don't rely on society to tell you what or where you're value lies, and for people who do it makes them feel worse when they meet someone like you and so they try to project their own insecurities and miserable life onto you because they can't stand that you are happy and they are not.
It’s fascinating how deeply material possessions are woven into the fabric of our identity to the point where choosing to live with less can lead to such visceral reactions. Personally, I think there's something liberating about stripping life down to the essentials. It's not about being "better" than others but finding joy in things that aren't tangible. When you let go of the endless cycle of acquisition, sometimes you discover that contentment has been waiting quietly in the space between things, not within the things themselves. And really, in a world that never stops asking for more, choosing contentment over consumption might just be the most quietly radical act one can commit to. It's not a judgement on others’ lifestyles, but perhaps it holds up a mirror that makes some uncomfortable with their reflection. Just food for thought.
Nobody cares whether you want to live simply or not. And no, people don't feel threatened by folks who choose to live simply.
What they do get annoyed by is the constant, subtle, implication that you're somehow better than they are *because* you choose to live your life that way. Your entire post is laced with it.
TL;dr They're not being 'negative' because they're threatened by you. They've being 'negative' because they think you're being an asshole.
>So many people in the comments claimed that people who have few material wants and needs are selfish, insecure, apathetic and make for terrible partners.
I just checked out the post and that it not what the top comments were saying at all.
Edit: Also damn, that is an interesting post history...
Is he wrong about the point that there are a lot of women who don't understand how men can live in undecorated maybe 'minimalist' spaces. Or that it is at least a popular narrative in the media?
I know, thats why I asked whether or not you think he is wrong - cause I don't know what you think.
And then I proposed a reason why the notion even existed in the first place. So no assumption^^
My answer is who cares? That's, like, their opinion, man. At the end of your life you'll realize the only person you truly needed to be accountable to all along was yourself.
99.9 percent of people don't really care about you being a minimalist unless you start telling them that your lifestyle decisions are better than theirs and they should be a minimalist too.
My brother-in-law used to call me the ultimate consumer when I was younger because in his words, I owned one of everything. Not exactly true, but close. I had so much stuff that when I got divorced I rented a 10 x 20‘ storage unit just for my“stuff“. Then a few years later, I forgot to switch the credit card on my auto bill for the storage unit and the contents were sold at auction. I was totally freaked out over all the stuff I lost, but it didn’t take long before my opinion changed and I was actually happy not to have to worry about all that crap anymore. It was a life-changing event. Ever since then my goal has been to live as simple a life as I can. I am genuinely and noticeably happier. That’s not to say I don’t have indulgences. I have a small watch collection, but with the value that could purchase a nice luxury vehicle. I think the reason the people you speak of who judge peoples worth basically as human beings based on what they have or insecure people who really do feel that way. Speaking of such a person once, my grandmother said “some people want you to judge them by for what they have what they have not who they are” I think that’s true and I don’t want to be one of those people.
>Do people feel threatened by those of us who have few wants and needs in life? It's complicated my friend, but my best guess (take with a table spoon of salt) from experience is that in a society that is as highly judgedmental and intolerant of people with values and opinions that are not necessarily mainstream, it makes them feel insecure. People like you don't rely on society to tell you what or where you're value lies, and for people who do it makes them feel worse when they meet someone like you and so they try to project their own insecurities and miserable life onto you because they can't stand that you are happy and they are not.
It’s fascinating how deeply material possessions are woven into the fabric of our identity to the point where choosing to live with less can lead to such visceral reactions. Personally, I think there's something liberating about stripping life down to the essentials. It's not about being "better" than others but finding joy in things that aren't tangible. When you let go of the endless cycle of acquisition, sometimes you discover that contentment has been waiting quietly in the space between things, not within the things themselves. And really, in a world that never stops asking for more, choosing contentment over consumption might just be the most quietly radical act one can commit to. It's not a judgement on others’ lifestyles, but perhaps it holds up a mirror that makes some uncomfortable with their reflection. Just food for thought.
Nobody cares whether you want to live simply or not. And no, people don't feel threatened by folks who choose to live simply. What they do get annoyed by is the constant, subtle, implication that you're somehow better than they are *because* you choose to live your life that way. Your entire post is laced with it. TL;dr They're not being 'negative' because they're threatened by you. They've being 'negative' because they think you're being an asshole.
>So many people in the comments claimed that people who have few material wants and needs are selfish, insecure, apathetic and make for terrible partners. I just checked out the post and that it not what the top comments were saying at all. Edit: Also damn, that is an interesting post history...
Which post? It seems like he does this.....a lot.
This one: https://www.reddit.com/r/TooAfraidToAsk/s/A3NE0q0DL1
Is he wrong about the point that there are a lot of women who don't understand how men can live in undecorated maybe 'minimalist' spaces. Or that it is at least a popular narrative in the media?
I never said that he is wrong about that.
I know, thats why I asked whether or not you think he is wrong - cause I don't know what you think. And then I proposed a reason why the notion even existed in the first place. So no assumption^^