Been living a minimalist lifestyle for a decade and the life lessons it has taught me.

FLFTW16 · 2015-08-25T10:31:00+00:00

There are some great comments in this thread. At the very least OP started an interesting conversation. In my personal experience there were periods in my life when I really enjoyed minimalism and used it to my advantage. I didn't just have two suitcases of possessions. I had two suitcases of possessions and traveled. I saw the US, slept in my car, lived in different cities and states. When I made up my mind to leave the US I gave away all of my possessions. Computer screen, furniture, cookware: I posted it all to craigslist and it was gone in 6 hours. In one day I uprooted my life and was down to a single backpack, ready for my adventure to Asia.

When I am in a place long enough I acquire new tools. New clothing. New furniture. It means nothing to me, though. They are material items and can be discarded in a moment's notice. During the last political crisis in Thailand the military staged a coup d'etat and there were men with machine guns and tanks on the street. If things got hairy I had an escape plan. That plan involved the clothes on my back and my computer or at least an HD drive with all of my files. That's it. Everything else is just stuff and can be abandoned.

Minimalism must serve a purpose. Monks own almost nothing because they are keeping themselves pure and unattached. Young men should own few things to enable them to travel and see the world -- but they must go. Refugees adopt a minimalism born from desperation. If you are staying in a place it is normal to acquire tools. Only a non-productive man would acquire nothing. Tools help you to multiply your value. A tailored suit is an unnecessary luxury to a bum who lives in his mom's basement, but a necessary tool to a man of the community that attends events, weddings, funerals, etc.

There is a time and place for minimalism, which is to say that the reverse is also true: there is a time and place for acquiring tools.

kempff · 2015-08-25T06:52:17+00:00

I am a teacher. My tools fill three wall-sized bookcases, a couple footlockers, and two filing cabinets. Minimalism is a fetish; you will outgrow it. Minimalism can also be a euphemism for "I haven't arrived yet" or "I don't know what I'm doing, but I like the feeling of being in control, even if it is illusory" - and it can also be an excuse for not fully complementing yourself to the point where you are maximally effective. Minimalism is like anorexia; if you feel out of control, control what you can see.

You have a lot to learn, son. Wardrobe is not a hyphenated compound. You would have known that had you not thrown away your dictionary.

NightwingTRP · 2015-08-25T11:14:26+00:00

Summary: "I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived. I did not wish to live what was not life, living is so dear; nor did I wish to practise resignation, unless it was quite necessary. I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life, to live so sturdily and Spartan-like as to put to rout all that was not life, to cut a broad swath and shave close, to drive life into a corner, and reduce it to its lowest terms." - Henry David Thoreau.

As with all philosophies... there is wisdom in there if you can find it and apply it appropriately to your individual situation.

the99percent1 · 2015-08-25T04:55:56+00:00

I don't think anyone can reasonably get down to 2 suitcases in any climate short of the mid to southern US. I need both winter and summer clothes at a minimum.

Not to mention every man worth his salt needs a well fitted suit to be successful in both high end social functions and upper level work place meet and greets.

Sure some men can get away with a lifestyle of casual dress but most men can't.

Hell my PPE clothing alone is a suit case and I would need it be I a peon or a director of engineering in any industrial environment.

Clothes make the man as much as the man makes the man. People live and die by first impressions and one of the pure minimalist will never infiltrate high society or well paid labour field or even managerial options.

While surrounding yourself with needless excess of possessions is a fools paradise, a pure minimalism existence is a self imposed prison with a low ceiling.

NineInchPitchfork · 2015-08-25T04:32:43+00:00

OP: I think you posted in the wrong sub. Well I am happy for you and your two suitcases, it really does not interest me much.

onenifty · 2015-08-25T05:13:01+00:00

tl;dr don't live your life emotionally attached to things that aren't important.

Different strokes for different folks, man. All my shit could get burned to the ground and I wouldn't care in the slightest except for the aggravation of having to get another well tailored wardrobe. There's nothing wrong with owning things, as long as you don't let them own you.

Dr_HoaxArthurWilmoth · 2015-08-25T07:46:01+00:00

I am a grown ass man. I have a file cabinet full of military and medical records. Tax, business and financial records fill up the other one.

This advice is good for a young buck, travel is good, experience different countries, states and towns - determine what you like and want to be around.

One suit? Do you know how many weddings, funerals, art events and professional ceremonies I have been to this year alone? 5 suits worth and a tux.

If you don't have at least 14 pairs of socks and underwear, that's when you need to re-evaluate your life. And I am not fucking kidding.

If you don't have a toolbox you are a worthless human being. If you have a boat or kids, you haven't had time to respond to self-masturbatory posts like this to let the author know that his effort is 50 percent less worthless than the thread, "I Held Frame When I Was Wrongly Accused and Detained at Walmart for Shoplifting".

remember13 · 2015-08-25T07:12:54+00:00

Good post. I can't pack everything that I own in two suitcases, but I am getting there. Though I wouldn't agree with only one business suit because I am a lawyer. Imagine if my potential clients would only see me in one outfit, they would presume I am broke. I have 4 suits, and I am using them constantly, thus they fulfill their full utility.

Also, I think you are taking this minimalist thing a little bit to the extreme around here. Of course the people over at r/minimalism would hail you as their God and savior, remember this is r/TheRedPill.

kempff · 2015-08-25T14:32:47+00:00

If you're not using it on a regular basis, get rid of it.

TheSleeperRiseth · 2015-08-25T20:37:28+00:00

The main benefit I take out from OP's post is that of non attachment... contrary to what OP states, I like to have "stuff" including a nice computer on which I currently write these lines... however Man should to fall for the all too easy trap to define himself by possessions and material things. You come alone in this world, you die alone. Courage and Honor, that can never be taken away from you as long as you keep it. Hold dominion over your things to the extent that you can discard of them if you deem it necessary and do not let them hold sway over you. In this context practicing minimalism, like fasting (for the mind and) the body is a valuable exercise for your (self-)awareness.

2015-08-25T23:13:59+00:00

I live a pretty minimalist lifestyle, but its not because I don't like nice things, but more that I don't want to put in the time and effort required to get those things. We only live once (as far as anyone knows) and I'd rather not have to spend the majority of my limited time on earth as some corporate drone, working a job I hate, just to acquire stuff I don't really need.

I want to work just hard enough to cover the basics and a couple small luxuries. I don't know -- maybe it is because I have done my fair share of psychedelic drugs, and I came away from it with an appreciation of the extraordinary beauty of nature, which makes slaving away for possessions seem trite.

Of course this philosophy is abhorrent to women, which is why I'm more mgtow than trp/pua.

blacwidonsfw · 2015-08-26T16:15:14+00:00

So I can wear the same smelly suit every day? No thanks

ExitAscend · 2015-08-25T09:34:06+00:00

Someone watched Up In The Air last night. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UsRP9EUrXjo

Avedas · 2015-08-25T06:42:12+00:00

Your expensive gaming PC you painstakenly assembled? it's obsolete in 6 months anyways. So get rid of it now and make some cash whilst you are at it too.

Hey look, it's the dumbest thing I've ever read on this sub! Honestly I dump shit all the time, but I also like spending money on things that provide me with value, whether that be pleasure, utility, or often both. There's no reason to be attached to your material possessions but your advice seems like a fast ticket to boredom. It's good you can enjoy vanilla but I prefer flavor.

mrmeyhemn · 2015-08-25T10:01:19+00:00

i lived this lifestyle for about 12 years, saved my $ and now i pretty much do what the fk i want to do when i want to do it. i learned a lot as well. mostly that women are extremely attracted to a mans attachments. if you have little attachments they see less value in you. that nice watch, those nice clothes, those cars, the house, all make you a more eligible bachelor . when i had an apartment in the ghetto (rent paid for the entire year up front 5 years in a row), a pos pickup (paid for), clothes i got at garage sales, no jewelry, it mattered to women, but i was happier as i had 0 debt and a fat ass wallet. i would meet women that were interested in fucking me because i looked/acted like chad. no attachments, it was all me. after 12 years of this lifestyle i bought a jeep, then a mustang, and finally a house. i get more interest from women, but i'm fully aware where this interest stems from in them. their desire to fuck me out of all of it.

rebuildingMyself · 2015-08-25T12:55:37+00:00

Try a savings account in the hundreds of thousands. How did I do it? Worked overseas, paid off my debts, and didn't get married. People over here make twice as much as me and keep jumping into more debt holes because princess wants a bigger house. I'll soon be quitting and taking a few months off to do whatever the fuck I want.

2015-08-25T07:43:49+00:00

So I should quit hiking, camping and wrestling? Because my basic equipment for those is more than two cases. Hell, that's four pairs of shoes/boots alone.

2015-08-25T15:38:15+00:00

I like the idea but I need my hobbies. I love recording music, I've been a musician for 20 years and I would never give that up. Take my home theater, take my ps3 but music is what makes me who I am. I have poured my heart into my recording setup and instruments

SPICY_BUTT_MILK · 2015-08-25T17:45:48+00:00

My Dad used to say, "anything that's worth doing is worth doing right." Doing things right requires the right stuff. And if you have as many hobbies as I do, you need a lot of stuff to accomplish that. Craftsmanship requires specialized tools, whether that's literally the planes, chisels, saws, etc in my woodworking shop or something kind of abstract like the extensive wardrobe I maintain for looking good when I go to work (or alive when I go out backcountry hiking). I love cooking and my kitchen is the envy of everyone I know and could be considered a workshop in its own right.

Your point is valid however, as 95% of what I buy are literally tools of some kind, a means to accomplish whatever goals I have. I don't like a lot of frivolous fluff. If I want a piece of furniture for my house, I build it. No massive Ikea shopping sprees for me. It's just not what you might call minimalism. I believe in "buy-it-for-life-ism"

legedu · 2015-08-25T19:34:22+00:00

I'm with you about 90%. The things you own should all have utility.

I own:

1) a rental 2) a bed (a nice one) 3) a car 4) a desktop computer (writing is my hobby) 5) clothes (a lot of nice ones, my job demands it) 6) pots and pans and dishes 7) a nice watch (for the job, which was a gift)

Before my LTR, it was always a trip to see the look on a girl's face when she would see my living room with just a desk in it.

That's it.

bouba_al · 2015-08-25T22:14:56+00:00

Thank you for this post. It is really powerful. I live by the same philosophy as you and I know it means a lot. I feel this is a key to a certain fluidity in life which gets you ahead.
Your post sound practical but we can feel the deeper meaning besides. Congrats

tectonic9 · 2015-08-26T01:39:29+00:00

I've pared my posessions to two travel bags and a few boxes in storage. It was immensely freeing, and made me want to pare down even further. I highly recommend it for many people, for reasons of improved living environment, more flexible lifestyle, and insight about your relationship to your possessions.

But I side with those who emphasize that many people just aren't in a position to improve their lives with your degree of asceticism. If you enjoy hobbies that require gear, keep enjoying them. If your lifestyle has the (assumed) grounded inflexibility of a house, children, location-based career, etc., then putting your crap in two bags won't make a meaningful change in your freedom from possessions and commitments. Rather, it'll just mean you need to re-buy useful things when you predictably wish you hadn't chucked them.

So the extremely simple, mobile, minimal lifestyle isn't for everyone, but the discipline of minimalism can be. As others have said, it's not so useful to view the goal as "having very few possessions," but rather "having only possessions that improve your life."

But I suspect most people vastly overestimate the utility, necessity, and enjoyment that most of their stuff actually brings. So the sort of experiment you suggest could be a real eye opener, even if people temper its extremity to the practical limits of their own lifestyles.

SexyDeviI · 2015-08-26T11:54:23+00:00

"Buy basic clothing. Own 2 pairs of crew neck T-shirts in grey or black. A pair of selvedge denim jeans."

Fuck that. If there's one thing life has taught me, it is that if you look like a nobility, you're gonna get treated like a nobility. People are superficial and shallow to the core.

Dress to impress. Dress for success.

triperfecta · 2015-08-25T13:03:23+00:00

Got divorced and the ex threw everything out into the street. Lived out of two bags and friends' closets. Own nothing? Move to Asia where the women are average 8s compared to ex's 5. Current girl always has my two packed suitcases hanging over her head.

80smadmaxonly · 2015-08-26T13:45:37+00:00

What does preparing to be homeless have to do with RP?

prodigy2throw · 2015-08-25T17:18:51+00:00

Interesting concept and I respect your point of view.

At the current time, I operate under the belief that too much isn't enough. So minimalism probably isn't for me.

Though I understand that in reality, we don't really NEED much.

GrandmasterHurricane · 2015-08-26T14:18:53+00:00

Sounds great and all, but true minimalism would disconnect you from the internet. You wouldn't own a cellphone or a computer.

2015-08-26T19:10:38+00:00

I'm gonna have to go with no. I agree on simplifying life and reducing the time wasters, but I worked way too hard for my bmw to sell or give it away. Bury me in that thing. I like my 400 dollar boots. You can shop at target or whever you prefer. I work hard for myself, for no one else. It will all be worthless some day, but thats not really the point.

Title	Been living a minimalist lifestyle for a decade and the life lessons it has taught me.
Author	the99percent1
Upvotes	37
Comments	67
Date	August 25, 2015 4:24 AM UTC (8 years ago)
Subreddit	Posted in /r/TheRedPill
Original Link	https://old.reddit.com/r/TheRedPill/comments/3ialab/been_living_a_minimalist_lifestyle_for_a_decade/
Archive Link	https://theredarchive.com/r/TheRedPill/been-living-a-minimalist-lifestyle-for-a-decade.35836 https://theredarchive.com/post/35836