Inside Minimalism Vol. 2 now available
minimalism.com
01 - New book
The second volume of Inside Minimalism with a new curated selection of essays is now available:
02 – Book intro: The Disease of More
by Joshua Fields Millburn
The average life is infected with excess. Excess stuff. Excess obligations. Excess worry and discontent and misery.
It is a life of suffering, interrupted by sporadic bursts of happiness.
Everyone attempts to solve this problem by amassing more. More possessions. More commitments. More pleasure and distractions and entertainment.
It never works. Because the problem is not birthed from a place of lack; it is a result of superfluity, a profusion of clutter.
Clutter, however, is not limited to material possessions—it is anything that gets in the way of a meaningful life. Digital clutter. Financial clutter. Relationship clutter. Mental clutter. Emotional clutter. Career clutter. Your material things are merely a physical manifestation of these deeper forms of clutter, all of which amplify dissatisfaction.
As tempting as it sounds, you cannot consume your way out of unhappiness. Well, you can, but only for a fleeting moment. It is not unlike a drug addict’s high. You can purchase pleasure, but in doing so you also purchase future pain. An addict is never “fixed” after getting his “fix.” After that spark of pleasure, misery always awaits.
Practically speaking, some objects may enhance your life, but only after you subtract everything that gets in the way.
You can improve your life not through addition, but through subtraction.
This is why “organizing” does not work: it merely hides the problem.
Hiding the problem only adds to the problem, making it easy to ignore.
Ignoring the problem swiftly metastasizes the Disease of More.
Simplifying is the only cure.
When we started Minimalism Life in 2016, The Minimalists partnered with Minimalissimo and 5 Style to curate the best of minimalist well-being, minimalist design, and minimalist travel via our online channels.
This second volume of Inside Minimalism contains a series of exclusive essays about simple living. These pages will help contextualize minimalist life through the experiences of our dedicated team of diverse writers, all of whom are passionate about living simply.
The perspectives and experiences elucidated throughout this book are designed to inspire the reader to live thoughtfully and graciously with less—today. There is no need to wait for tomorrow. The best time to simplify was yesterday; the second best time is now.
03 - Essays preview
We are offering you a preview of two essays included in the new book: