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Example Of Minimalism

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“There are two ways to be rich: One is by acquiring much, and the other is by desiring little.” -Jackie French Koller Minimalism: How Owning Less Can Make Your Life Worth More Minimalism is defined by the Marriam-Webster dictionary as a “style or technique (as in music, literature, or design) that is characterized by extreme spareness and simplicity” (Marriam-Webster). A minimalist lifestyle has many similar characteristics of the definition of minimalism, yet you can choose the sparingness of material items to something a measure that best fits your lifestyle. In pursuing a life of a minimalist, one must learn to let go of unimportant clutter in their life--materialistic or not --and grasp a better understanding of their own life. Minimalist’s …show more content…

Over recent years, Americans have gone mad for what they believe is a “bang” for their buck. A perfect example of Americans obsessing over the latest savings would be the society-created holiday Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving--now the night of Thanksgiving-- where most stores have sales on their items at simultaneous times. The topic of Black Friday and how Americans will shop until they drop leads into the discussion about how people are spending more on these material goods than they actually make. In this scene of the film, Ryan Nicodemus discusses the American shopping problem and shows saddening scenes of how overspending money has ruined many peoples lives. Whilst the film is showing montages of shopping madness and people struggling to make ends meet as a result, Ryan says “You don’t really have control of how much money you make, but you have full control over how much money you spend” …show more content…

When people buy new goods, they often have trash that comes from the packaging or the goods that they buy create trash; after we use these items until we feel the need for a newer version, we often just throw the used item into the nearest garbage can for it to sit in a landfill and cause harmful effects to our environment rather than recycling it or finding someone in need to give the item to. The topic of how Americans are producing excessive trash as a result of their compulsive-consumer lifestyle is brought to attention in the documentary in a scene where Nicodemus is discussing global warming as a result of this lifestyle Americans have adapted to. In the documentary, Nicodemus is voicing over a video montage of landfills with trash stacked as tall as city buildings, while the visual aspect of the film is showing how much of this waste is from packaging of goods; the auditory aspect of Nicodemus’ voice is discussing how much we could reduce our carbon footprint if we reduce how many items we compulsively

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1453 Words | 6 Pages

One example of this laid-back attitude towards spending money is when Francis goes home after 22 years and gets $10 from Billy. Francis then jokes with his wife, Annie, about putting “…ten dollars toward the frame” (183) for a picture they like. This minor and seemingly harmless remark digs deeper into the person Francis is. Rather than spending money on food or shelter, he would rather spend it on a useless trinket that does not improve his life. Considering the economic climate at the time coupled with his situation, this joke turns into an ignorant statement which explains why he has “…been broke twenty-two years” (182).

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367 Words | 2 Pages

Many Americans love shopping, especially during the holidays, with its captivating discounts and sales, which lead to uncontrollable splurges on irrelevant things. According to Quindlen, this is an example of America’s crazed consumerism and it is absolutely absurd. In her article, “Honestly, You Shouldn’t Have”, she states that there is currently an assumption that purchasing American merchandises symbolize an act of patriotism and at the same time, build a strong economy. She also states that we, as Americans, need to acknowledge important spiritual values such as friends and family rather than material goods.

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776 Words | 4 Pages

Nevertheless, the interviewees frown upon being labelled as someone that values luxury over reasonable spending. Hence, they expressed their emphasis on the importance of needs over wants, and that practicality should triumph over extravagance. They see “limited” consumption as a form of self discipline, where excessive spending was only justifiable when it is spent on the family and invested in the children. If

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776 Words | 4 Pages

The author of American Wasteland, Jonathan Bloom, uses many techniques to steer readers in his direction. Bloom talks about a big issue concerning American in 2010 and is still an issue today in 2016, six years after he wrote this book. As a result of broad research, the main issue today is expiration dates and how state regulations and laws promote food waste (Linnekin). As other books, articles, and documentaries explain this issue they use evidence, positive and negative connotations, and bias to connect with a general audience or supporters.

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104 Words | 1 Pages

The Tiny House Movement is a modern organization that is closely associated with transcendentalism. Transcendentalism is the philosophy of fixating chiefly on God, self, and nature. It is the principle of ridding one's life of materialistic things to focus on the importance of life. This fundamental leads to a simplified life, which was one of the main goals of the transcendental movement. Likewise, it is a major goal of living in a tiny house.

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1265 Words | 6 Pages

When you see a litterbug throw the rest of their half-eaten lunch on the ground or dispose of a cigarette out their Hummer window, you might be disgusted by the fact that, that someone negatively impacts the environment. Most human beings know that our negative actions towards the environment have a ripple effect like a drop in the ocean. However, not everyone cares or sees the impact that we all individually have on the earth. In the essay, Our Unhealthy Future Under Environmentalism, John Berlau, an American economist, debates that conserving and preserving our environment is unnecessary and environmentalist should chill out with this save the planet bull crap. This essay comes directly from Berlau’s book called, Eco-Freaks: Environmentalism

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His minimalist actions when partaking in his journey are evident when he cuts down to the basics in order to focus on his spiritual journey instead of relying on materials to get his happiness. On the other hand, though, he does break his minimalistic lifestyle by getting a job at Mcdonalds', “flipping quarter pounders,” (39). It is evident that his employment at Mcdonalds' doesn’t represent a minimalistic person as it does support people with a decent amount of money which is very materialistic and ultimately against minimalism. But to contradict, that is very much of a reach because of how it might also be just to gain money so he can continue supporting living a minimalist

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1080 Words | 5 Pages

The concept of consumerism was first brought to my awareness in First Year Writing. I admit, before this intro course, I was indeed ignorant of the negative impacts that consumption had on society. FYS opened my mind to the dangers of over-consumption, and more importantly, helped me see beyond what meets the eye. Take for example, Disney, a seemingly innocent corporation, a company’s whose name is practically synonymous with the notion of childhood innocence. Upon initial judgement, one would assume that Disney is merely harmless family entertainment.

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716 Words | 3 Pages

Commentary Essay on Shopping and Other Spiritual Adventures in America Today The American people are focusing more on materialistic items, people are shopping for pleasure more than necessity. This article comments on how people are shopping to release stress or to gain pleasure. Even though the article was written in 1984, it is still pertinent to modern time. In Shopping and Other Spiritual Adventures in America Today by Phyllis Rose, varied sentence length, different point of views, and anaphora are utilized to prove that society is becoming consumed in materialism.

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1003 Words | 5 Pages

In the 21st century, we consume so frequently that we do not take notice; consumerism consumes us. Consumerism is an integral

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654 Words | 3 Pages

The article, “Food Waste Is Becoming Serious Economic and Environmental Issue, Report Says,” by Ron Nixon, talks about food waste and of plans on how to stop it. Specifically, Nixon argues that there are millions of people all over the country that don’t have enough to eat. Also that there are people that go to bed hungry most days, while others are throwing away extra scraps they didn’t eat. Nixon writes about the tons of food thrown in the trash every week, resulting in economic and environmental issues. Also about how the Earth’s landfills then get filled up with even more garbage.

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1147 Words | 5 Pages

Materialism is a problem in American society, everyday people go for the next best thing just to show off their possessions. People show off what they have, and once they get tired of it, they begin to go for the latest, cellular devices, clothing’s, cars etc. According to Tim Kasser, “People develop ideals looking at the lives of their friends, neighbors, co-workers, and relatives” (Kasser52). What he is trying to say is, instead of every person helping each other expand in life, everyone is in rivalry with one another. In order to make an attempt at fixing the American society, making it less materialistic, people must become and think correspondingly of a minimalist.

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814 Words | 4 Pages

Imagine living in a world where the air is polluted and most people are afraid to step outside their front door, in the near future, this may be reality for Americans. Americans throw out over 200 million tons of garbage a year, yet recycle not nearly as much. Most people do not realize it but recycling is a vital part of America’s society and if Americans do not perform this action, it will backfire on them. People in America are debating whether Americans are recycling enough and correctly. After analyzing the data, one will definitely agree that Americans need to be more educated on recycling due to the fact that most people do not know what happens after they recycle an item, nearly all Americans are recycling incorrectly, and Am To begin,

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745 Words | 3 Pages

Everyday people buy plastic things from the cafeteria, from plastic containers, lids on cups, and things as small as straws, and like 50% of plastic used it will be thrown away after one use. However, do you ever stop and think, what happens to the plastic? If you’re thinking that it just magically goes away you 're wrong. It will most likely end up in a landfill somewhere or in the ocean, and as you may think that your actions do not impact the world, think again. Everyone in the world has at least used one piece of plastic, adding to the problem of plastic pollution and helping certifying the terrifying statisticc that acooording to the 2018 Earth day video, “by 2050 there will more plastic in the ocean than fish”, which almost is impossible to think of.

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1036 Words | 5 Pages

Introduction People tend to consume a lot, when there is consumption, there is waste – and that waste becomes a big problem that needs taken care of, which costs a lot of time, space and resources. If not managed, in turn, the world that we live in will become a hazardous place for all living things. According to the World Bank, people throughout the world, “spend $2.3 trillion a year on food and beverages alone” (Global Consumption Database, 2018), that is quite a lot. In addition to that, the world count mentions that, “we throw out over 50 tons of household waste every second. A number that will double by 2030”

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