Why Minimalism Is Such an Attractive Ideology These Days

But what I want to talk about today is why it makes sense that minimalism is the zeitgeist of contemporary America. I’ll argue that minimalism has gained the traction is has in recent years because 1) ‘climbing the ladder’ is an outdated model and we know it, 2) technology enables a new level of transience, 3) let’s face it, it’s a hot aesthetic, and finally, 4) amidst a declared sea of possibilities and seismic shifts in social expectations, real freedom and meaning-making feel further away than ever.

The ladder has toppled over

Two years ago, My father and I visited my grandfather. He lives in a small town in upstate New York, about an hour from Buffalo. My father’s friends from high school still live in the area, and whenever we go to visit we inevitably end up having a raucous dinner and getting wasted. On this particular occasion we found ourselves back at my father’s friend’s old depot-turned-art-studio/man-cave, complete with his welding projects, a bow and arrow to shoot at a sandbag target, a bar, and an inversion machine. All of my father’s friends were truants in high school. They smoked excessive amounts of weed and barely managed to graduate. Now, two of them are lawyers, one is a psychologist, one is a successful enough artist to live off his art, and one is a doctor. The lawyers, in their own words, were sitting around one day smoking in a basement when one of them said, “should we go to law school?” and the other agreed because there wasn’t “anything else on”. All of my father’s friends’ stories share something in common: a fairly blasé approach, and a high-paying job awaiting them at the end. These were white male baby boomers who simply walked smack dab into their careers without much thought about it.

The Tech-Nomad Lifestyle

An Attractive Aesthetic

Everything’s Changing: Where’s the Meaning At?

We don’t follow the same career paths. Nor do we follow the same relationship paths. Over the course of human history, these two factors (either alone, or in tandem) have been the predominant rulers or where and how we live. Now we have options, options, options, and the cultural norms are for the most part encouraging rather than dissuading engagement with this wide range of options. Wouldn’t those options be made easier if we were less bogged down by non-intentional choices? Wouldn’t it be easier to move if we could fit all of our possessions into one bag?

At the end of the day, whether you are falling asleep in a hoarder’s den or a minimalist haven, you are the sole denominator in the equation of your sense of happiness and fulfillment. Every age has their quick solutions; minimalism is ours, and it makes sense why.

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