Minimalist living - The Luxury of Less, the Logic of Smaller

[PussyGalore]

There was a time in the past admittedly when my collecting of DVD's got out of hand. But I got a handle on that. I only bought them when they were on sale. But I do have some which I have never watched and even some which are still wrapped in plastic. I even bought one which I apparently already had once or twice. It was sort of a mild addiction. Anyway that's all in the past now and it's been many years since I bought any.

 

[Overmind One]

There was a time in the past admittedly when my collecting of DVD's got out of hand. But I got a handle on that. I only bought them when they were on sale. But I do have some which I have never watched and even some which are still wrapped in plastic. I even bought one which I apparently already had once or twice. It was sort of a mild addiction. Anyway that's all in the past now and it's been many years since I bought any.

I used to collect....cassettes. I had entire collections of books and music on them. I also had several players for them, and my car and home stereo was cassette based. I even had a Sony Walkman! Today, many Millennials don't even know what a cassette is. If you want to make sure you will be able to watch those DVDs, make sure you have a good player you basically don't use and pack it tightly like you do your DVDs. The reason I don't have my cassettes today is because all my players broke!

 

[Lord Ba'al]

I used to collect....cassettes. I had entire collections of books and music on them. I also had several players for them, and my car and home stereo was cassette based. I even had a Sony Walkman! Today, many Millennials don't even know what a cassette is. If you want to make sure you will be able to watch those DVDs, make sure you have a good player you basically don't use and pack it tightly like you do your DVDs. The reason I don't have my cassettes today is because all my players broke!

I have a bluray player in storage too. Damn thing's gonna be vintage/antiquated by the time I get to use it again.

 

[Lord Ba'al]

What do you mean by seeing it as a threat?

 

[Overmind One]

Too much information. Our brains can process so much until it gets too much for us to handle.

The amount of information you process is a choice, not forced input.

 

[PussyGalore]

The amount of information you process is a choice, not forced input.

That's true but I think some people get overwhelmed by external "information" and don't know how to handle it. Keeping it in the context of what constitutes minimalism vs. excess collecting and/or hoarding behavior I know people who have so much junk that they have developed a blindness to it. For instance, they have to know that it isn't normal to fill their houses with so much crap that they can't properly navigate going from the living room to the bathroom on a daily basis but their brains see all those boxes and junk as a "threat", as an unsolvable problem, so the brain shuts down that part of the rational faculty because it feels it's under attack from reality. It can't cope with that particular issue so to "protect" the psyche it "blinds" the person from even recognizing the problem exists in the first place.

(If you talk to a hoarder about their problem they will often momentarily "surface" out of the fog, get emotional and agree with you that there is a problem and they need help with it, but then they will almost instantly return to a state of obliviousness and denial; putting things off for another day that never comes. And if you try to actually help them get rid of stuff they will become agitated and angry and defiant and defensive and will fight you tooth and nail to prevent you making any change to their circumstances. This is all part of their brains seeing their hoard as both a threat and a security blanket. They know it's unhealthy to live this way but at the same time they fear the loss of living this way, odd as that sounds.)

I'm not sure I'm explaining that properly and I also don't know if this is what Singularity was going for in terms of defining a "brain threat", but that's how I'm reading it based upon the hoarders I've known. Of course hoarding is the extreme end of the spectrum and shouldn't be confused with collecting and curating material objects. But then again, it's interesting to think about where the tipping point is when it comes to collecting vs. hoarding. And by that same token when does minimalism tip over into neurotic asceticism?

 

[Overmind One]

That's true but I think some people get overwhelmed by external "information" and don't know how to handle it. Keeping it in the context of what constitutes minimalism vs. excess collecting and/or hoarding behavior I know people who have so much junk that they have developed a blindness to it. For instance, they have to know that it isn't normal to fill their houses with so much crap that they can't properly navigate going from the living room to the bathroom on a daily basis but their brains see all those boxes and junk as a "threat", as an unsolvable problem, so the brain shuts down that part of the rational faculty because it feels it's under attack from reality. It can't cope with that particular issue so to "protect" the psyche it "blinds" the person from even recognizing the problem exists in the first place.

(If you talk to a hoarder about their problem they will often momentarily "surface" out of the fog, get emotional and agree with you that there is a problem and they need help with it, but then they will almost instantly return to a state of obliviousness and denial; putting things off for another day that never comes. And if you try to actually help them get rid of stuff they will become agitated and angry and defiant and defensive and will fight you tooth and nail to prevent you making any change to their circumstances. This is all part of their brains seeing their hoard as both a threat and a security blanket. They know it's unhealthy to live this way but at the same time they fear the loss of living this way, odd as that sounds.)

I'm not sure I'm explaining that properly and I also don't know if this is what Singularity was going for in terms of defining a "brain threat", but that's how I'm reading it based upon the hoarders I've known. Of course hoarding is the extreme end of the spectrum and shouldn't be confused with collecting and curating material objects. But then again, it's interesting to think about where the tipping point is when it comes to collecting vs. hoarding. And by that same token when does minimalism tip over into neurotic asceticism?

In every case of hoarding that I have personally been able to see or observe from afar (a neighbor), it took the blunt actions of somebody else to solve the problem. The woman who was hoarding in my building in Redondo was told she was creating a health hazard, and that she would be evicted if she did not clear it. One night, her smoke alarm went off (mold caused it!), and the landlord used that to evict her. She left lots of it behind and the landlord had it removed and destroyed because the woman was taking too long to remove it. A hoarding woman who was renting a home down the street went out of town and the owner of the house came in while she was gone and had everything removed. Evidently this was illegal, but the court would not hear her case. We have one guy at work who hoards napkins, condiment packets and free snacks from the office break rooms. My boss saw this and simply pulled all the drawers completely out of the desk and dumped them in a trash can. He is still with us. Weird guy.....

 

[PussyGalore]

In every case of hoarding that I have personally been able to see or observe from afar (a neighbor), it took the blunt actions of somebody else to solve the problem. The woman who was hoarding in my building in Redondo was told she was creating a health hazard, and that she would be evicted if she did not clear it. One night, her smoke alarm went off (mold caused it!), and the landlord used that to evict her. She left lots of it behind and the landlord had it removed and destroyed because the woman was taking too long to remove it. A hoarding woman who was renting a home down the street went out of town and the owner of the house came in while she was gone and had everything removed. Evidently this was illegal, but the court would not hear her case. We have one guy at work who hoards napkins, condiment packets and free snacks from the office break rooms. My boss saw this and simply pulled all the drawers completely out of the desk and dumped them in a trash can. He is still with us. Weird guy.....

OMG, this kind of behavior is so cringe. I know a guy like this. He would collect napkins, condiments, plastic utensils and basically anything he could get for free. He once admitted to me that he collected enough sugar packets from fast food joints to fill a 5Lb bag. The weird thing was he never used sugar, not in his coffee and not in his cooking, etc. He just collected the little packets because it was a compulsion. The same with napkins and plastic spoons and forks.

I hated opening the console or glove box in his car as they were always stuffed to the gills with napkins and plastic utensils. He insisted that these things would come in handy someday. To the best of my knowledge they have yet to come in handy. Sure, the occasional extra napkin is nice but having so many that they pop out of the console like a Jack-in-the-box trying to escape confinement every time you open it gets to be ridiculous. God help you if you're looking to find a pen in that console, which he insists is there somewhere, because you'll never find it. You'll find the lost city of Atlantis before you find a pen or anything genuinely useful in a pocket of his car.

BTW, I'm not a "neat freak". I'm not slovenly but I'm also not neurotic about keeping everything pristine. Everyone has a "junk drawer" in their home, but when every drawer becomes a receptacle for inane junk then you've got a problem.

 

[Overmind One]

Dude is lonely man. Trust me. Possession of things is because they are lonely and don't have a way of sharing their love. They feel the need for isolation and comfort so they find that hoarding stuff brings them comfort. People judge when people suffer from psychological issues like this and I hate it when people make such a big deal out of it.

http://business.time.com/2011/07/26/the-reason-youre-in-love-with-material-possessions-loneliness/

We love fucking around with nature and love pushing our ideas on others. We are all guilty of this but our society has created this negative stigma that it's 'wrong' to be weird/whacky or like something or be obsessed about it.

Love is very hard to find and most people don't find it. Some are forced into loving someone and then eventually hate entering into a contract. Some have too many sad breakups that they loss the will to keep looking because people use love to exploit when people are most vulnerable. You really have to be a fucked up person to sink to such lowness to prey on people who are looking for love.

That is why pets are so important! They give you a way to give and get unconditional love, they make you responsible, because your little companion depends on you for food, water, a clean place to live, companionship and protection. Unless you lack basic Humanity, you will do whatever you can to keep your little roommate happy and healthy. It is a great way to get out of yourself and think about somebody else (even if it is a pet). I don't mean something like a snake or lizard or a turtle or fish, I am talking about a more complex animal like a cat or a dog or even a rat or rabbit or hamster. Cats and dogs display emotions, which make them better pets. They will show you when they are unhappy or happy, or angry. They will also show you love on their own terms.

Loneliness, worry and pessimism are unhealthy states of mind.

 

[Overmind One]

Oh look...a nationwide commercial romaine lettuce warning:

CDC Says to Throw Out All Romaine Lettuce Due to New E. coli Outbreak Ahead of Thanksgiving

https://people.com/food/romaine-lettuce-e-coli-outbreak-november/

So, I guess everyone is shit out of luck, unless they are growing it at home which is insanely easy to do. These two lettuce plants are growing in water right now, with a drop of rooting hormone. They started out as store-bought organic lettuce, and these leaves have grown from the stumps. You can plant them and harvest quite a few salads before the plant gets too mature and the leaves become more fibrous. These were started a week ago, and it takes about two or three weeks for enough to make a salad, but more than enough every few days for sandwiches.



There is a lot to be said about thoughtful retraction from certain parts of the "grid". Without this tiny little crop I started, there wouldn't be any lettuce for me to buy since many stores took it off the bins after this story came out.

 

[PussyGalore]

Oh look...a nationwide commercial romaine lettuce warning:

CDC Says to Throw Out All Romaine Lettuce Due to New E. coli Outbreak Ahead of Thanksgiving

https://people.com/food/romaine-lettuce-e-coli-outbreak-november/

So, I guess everyone is shit out of luck, unless they are growing it at home which is insanely easy to do. These two lettuce plants are growing in water right now, with a drop of rooting hormone. They started out as store-bought organic lettuce, and these leaves have grown from the stumps. You can plant them and harvest quite a few salads before the plant gets too mature and the leaves become more fibrous. These were started a week ago, and it takes about two or three weeks for enough to make a salad, but more than enough every few days for sandwiches.

View attachment 34894

There is a lot to be said about thoughtful retraction from certain parts of the "grid". Without this tiny little crop I started, there wouldn't be any lettuce for me to buy since many stores took it off the bins after this story came out.

I didn't know you could do that with lettuce. That's really cool.

As for the E. coli outbreak, what is going on with our agriculture system lately? It's worrisome that we now have to be wary of eating salad. How is this happening to lettuce? There has to be an explanation. I remember not too long ago you couldn't eat green onions. And there was also an issue with spinach at one time. The whole thing is bizarre.

 

[Overmind One]

I didn't know you could do that with lettuce. That's really cool.

As for the E. coli outbreak, what is going on with our agriculture system lately? It's worrisome that we now have to be wary of eating salad. How is this happening to lettuce? There has to be an explanation. I remember not too long ago you couldn't eat green onions. And there was also an issue with spinach at one time. The whole thing is bizarre.

I know, it's very weird. But like the store-bought organic lettuce, you can also grow organic onions (leeks, shallots, etc). You were growing tomatoes, if I recall. If I can do that indoors, I am going for them too.

 

[PussyGalore]

I know, it's very weird. But like the store-bought organic lettuce, you can also grow organic onions (leeks, shallots, etc). You were growing tomatoes, if I recall. If I can do that indoors, I am going for them too.

I didn't bother with tomatoes this year as I was going full minimalist with my yard. I even planted ornamental grass in the porch planter so I wouldn't have to be bothered with maintaining flower annuals anymore. Tomatoes are nice but they have a long growing season and take a lot of light, water and attention. And you have to figure out the right fertilizer and nutrients or they will be a bust.

I don't mean to sound like I'm dissuading you from growing tomatoes indoors. Obviously from all the "hot house" tomatoes on the market it's possible to do. I just don't have any experience with doing that. You on the other hand might find it a fun adventure. (I don't know if cats chew on tomato plants and/or tear them up so you will have to read up on that.)

 

[Overmind One]

That guy knows the "movement" of minimalism, but he has equated it to only a style and a look, more than the lifestyle. That huge house he is living in is NOT minimalist at all. It has that Apple-inspired white look inside, but it is huge. I took it way further and moved into a minimalist space (a studio apt) from a much larger one on purpose. I am using tiny-house ideas in my studio, plus got rid of hundreds of pounds of collected stuff I did not need. I have minimalized my wardrobe, my footprint, and especially my mindset. BUT, I still have a fairly luxurious lifestyle in my little space. Perhaps I will post pics.

 

[Twalet Brash]

That guy knows the "movement" of minimalism, but he has equated it to only a style and a look, more than the lifestyle. That huge house he is living in is NOT minimalist at all. It has that Apple-inspired white look inside, but it is huge. I took it way further and moved into a minimalist space (a studio apt) from a much larger one on purpose. I am using tiny-house ideas in my studio, plus got rid of hundreds of pounds of collected stuff I did not need. I have minimalized my wardrobe, my footprint, and especially my mindset. BUT, I still have a fairly luxurious lifestyle in my little space. Perhaps I will post pics.

It seems like you're slowly downsizing your way into a coffin. You're not in your twilight years per chance, are you?

 

[Overmind One]

It seems like you're slowly downsizing your way into a coffin. You're not in your twilight years per chance, are you?

"Twilight years"? LOL, no. Its not that small of a space, and I can afford much larger but why? It is most definitely not tiny, but it isn't huge at all. And yet I have all the luxuries I want in there. It's like the difference between a bowl of fish salad vs a serving of caviar on a caviar spoon.

 

[Twalet Brash]

"Twilight years"? LOL, no. Its not that small of a space, and I can afford much larger but why? It is most definitely not tiny, but it isn't huge at all. And yet I have all the luxuries I want in there. It's like the difference between a bowl of fish salad vs a serving of caviar on a caviar spoon.

One of those will leave you quite hungry and unsatisfied.

 

[Overmind One]

One of those will leave you quite hungry and unsatisfied.

Good point. I think pictures will speak for themselves.

 

[PussyGalore]

It has that Apple-inspired white look inside, but it is huge. I took it way further and moved into a minimalist space (a studio apt) from a much larger one on purpose. I am using tiny-house ideas in my studio, plus got rid of hundreds of pounds of collected stuff I did not need. I have minimalized my wardrobe, my footprint, and especially my mindset. BUT, I still have a fairly luxurious lifestyle in my little space. Perhaps I will post pics.

Please not nudes...again.

 

[Overmind One]

Please not nudes...again.

Why not? I have Beauty Mode on my camera!