Often framed in terms of austerity and sacrifice, minimalism, as a concept, isn’t actually about minimizing anything of authentic value in our lives. Instead, it’s about embracing and cherishing the things we currently have. Sure, many who enjoy a minimalist lifestyle strive to declutter and scorn excessive materialism, but this lifestyle can be about so much more. For me, minimalism embodies a philosophy aimed at finding my life’s truest meaning by cutting through the “noise” of the material world. It affords me a sense of having more time and the ability to pay better attention, thereby helping me accumulate more of what matters to me.
This way of existing stands in stark contrast to classical economics, which teaches us that more is always better. For instance, the march toward unending growth is what leads companies to promote “planned obsolescence,” intentionally building products that break after
