Minimalism Vs Materialism — The Journey from Self-Sacrifice to Self-Service

Materialism

We often think that materialism relates only to physical possessions, brand names and perceivable matter. Materialism in this sense holds several functions. It presents on a physical level of ownership, it functions on a creative level of ideas, words, art, and it operates on a social level of definitions of things. This person is black, white, a doctor, homeless, a mother etc. These are material facts that allow us to denote someone. These are things recognised by the ego — the experiencer.

Minimalism

We see minimalism as a way to minimise these things. We give away our possessions and thus we have less things to worry about. But we still accumulate titles, ideas, thoughts and attachments. Our ego attaches to definitions of who we believe we are, who we think we are to others and how we function in our societal role. Our ego attaches to family, friends, addictions, work, self-definitions.

It is true that we are lighter when we hold less, and we can easily flow through life without our material possessions or attachments holding us back, but if we have nothing to tether us we may float too far away from our material reality.

The function of minimalism is to declutter our lives from what is not serving us, only to rebuild ourselves or to unburden ourselves of attachment. Many ascetics arrive at a point of no return, where they denounce everything including their physical embodiment. This is a dark and dangerous path.

Monks & Hoarders

This is the reason Buddhist monks are required to rid themselves of worldly possessions and why hoarders can’t bear the pain of loss. What is the difference in practice besides being polar-opposite ends of the spectrum? Where is the balance? As with everything, the balance is ever shifting and ever evolving. One day you may feel that decluttering your house will clear your head, whereas the next day you may go and buy something imposing to change the landscape and form a new attachment.

Biblical Interpretation

“Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image”

Without having delved deep into the 5th commandment, my interpretation of serving other idols is to become subservient to something material, something other than the divine. We often show more respect to our material possessions than we do to ourselves, be that our car, house, job or self-definitions. Perhaps you make others take their shoes off before entering the house to prevent them dirtying the carpet. Perhaps you ignore your thoughts in exchange for languishing attention on your mobile phone. Perhaps you brag about your expensive holiday or promotion in a job that you detest, only in an effort to solidify your attachment to things that do not really define who you are, that do not reflect your true divinity.

We may rid ourselves of something that weighs us down one day, but serves us or enables us to serve others another time. The fact that we have previously rid ourselves of this demonstrates that it we no longer serve this thing but it serves us. Perhaps you quit professional football because it no longer served you and you were only attached to the money, fame and esteem brought about by something you now saw as vacuous, yet years down the line you may be invited to partake in a charity football match. This would serve others, and perhaps even tickle that part of you that first fell in love with football because this game itself is not weighed down with all the attachments that drove you away from football in the first place.

Final Thought

Often we feel a void or emptiness within us and we seek to fill this space with relationships, distractions, idle chatter, yet much of the time this is not what is required. The thing that is missing is fulfilment of such a void in doing something that excites us. Pursuing a passionate relationship, studying something that you have had an ongoing passing interest in or working in a rewarding job. These can be healthy attachments if we indulge ourselves, yet they can all turn into chores or become detrimental when we become attached to them and we notice the void opening up again because we have lost touch with the passion which drove us there in the first place and cannot rekindle it. This is the point where we must reassess, whether it is your first joint or a meditation practice which then becomes a compulsion, they may have now become surplus to requirements. Much like a paraplegic can either wallow in depression when they contrast life before dismemberment to now or they can lose that attachment and integrate into the new life they have. While this may be resolved in a simple sentence, the work is undoubtedly excruciatingly difficult, yet rewarding.

Only you know what serves you and what you are subservient to, from your material possessions to persona. We constantly redefine ourselves moment by moment, day by day, and only use so many of our material possessions at one time. Sometimes we become attached to our redefinition because we prefer it to who we were, just like we prefer our new car over the last one.

It requires regular meditation, checking in, journaling or whatever the preferred method is to recognise what role we are playing right now and how that is serving our truest self and those we care about.