A recent NYTimes article culminated a slew of recent discussions and observations that I've had about minimal living. I know one person who is dedicated to beginning a minimal lifestyle, another friend who is moving to New York and will, out of necessity, most likely be living a minimal lifestyle, and someone who just returned from Portland (which has taken minimalism as a part of the their mantra). Yet it isn't very distant memory in which everyone was attempting to "beat the Joneses" in the race for the newest technologies and "things". There is no doubt that the recent economic downturn has forced people to change their spending habits and as a result of a more conscience awareness of the perils of credit, many people have been forced to change their entire lifestyles. Credit was the equalizer for the lower and middle classes, and it is now extremely reduced.
I wouldn't doubt that this trend is positive in the United States. It has resulted in more awareness of what we eat. It has hopefully reduced the number of people who drive massive SUVs. It has shifted the focus of spending from items to "experiences". Perhaps more Americans will travel instead of buying new cars and furniture; and if this is so, the entire dynamic of Americans' culture could become more worldly in the long run. My great aspiration is that more people begin biking!
But are there downsides? Yes! I have at many times been a defender of consumerism. This stems not because I like to buy a lot, or because I am blind to the downsides of Americans' spending habits (this economy has led everyone to see that extreme spending is not tenable). But the effects of consumerism can be extremely positive. For example, all these strip-malls that exist may be filled with stores selling pure crap, but they also have 24-hour medical clinics that can only afford to exist because of the low rent of strip malls. Technology has advanced so quickly, in part, because of the spending habits of the wealthy and gadget-geeks. There is a definite trickle-down in technology. Options that were once only available in high-end cars (MB, BMW, etc.) are now available in Hyundais because so many purchase new cars that technologies are now cheaper. Everyone can now own a 24" LED computer screen because so many produced that the prices fall dramatically. Will technology and convenience suffer if we "regress" into the past habits of purchasing materials?
I think that this trend is positive, and very desirable, but I would offer a word of caution to fanatics of any cause: moderation, less we would like to live back in the 1700s.
What do you think? Feel free to comment.
This is exactly why I want most of my favorite bands to sell millions of records and become millionaires. When it comes to the music industry, I fully advocate consumerism. Arcade Fire selling hundreds of thousands of records and playing at Madison Square Garden opens the doors to a lot of other good, creative bands that otherwise wouldn't have had a chance. Indie labels making a ton of money does the same. Long live musical capitalism!
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