I’ve been having a wonderful spring break exploring the beautiful cities of Canada. It turns our that Montreal is really quite far from Rochester. In order to entertain myself, I downloaded a bunch of podcasts to listen to on the bus rides. One playlist of podcasts that I listened to (actually, the only one I ended up listening to) was called “The Minimalists.” It is lead by two guys, Joshua and Ryan, who left really nice, “comfortable” lifestyles to focus on the things that matter to them. They are really interesting and they have some really inspiring things to say. They speak about focusing on what’s truly important in life after getting all of the stuff/clutter out of the way. They also give really cool suggestions about how to lead a more minimalist lifestyle and feel happier.
One thing I really liked was about gift-giving. They encouraged their listeners to ask for “consumables” and experiences instead of more things to clutter a house and the world. I thought this was really nice, and I definitely agree with this suggestion. I think that it is always better to receive an experience that you wouldn’t otherwise get for yourself instead of something that may not add value to your life and will just take up space on a shelf or in storage somewhere. Anyway, these are just my quick musings. They’re really cool guys and I encourage you to check them out. I’d say it’s a huge part of sustainability — having only what you need and what you truly value and getting rid of the excess. I think it leads to a happier life, and ultimately reduces your impact on the earth as well.
That’s all for now. Enjoy the weather!
Written by Mariah Greico, Class of 2018
I strongly agree with you. We as humans tend to get attached to material things and assumes that we can’t leave without it when we don’t really need any of those. We usually forgot simplicity can bring much happiness to life.. as well as peace of mind.
Nice input you’ve got there, can’t resist commenting.
Cheers!