Minimalism has been some of our way to live our lives in this generation, whether or not we know what it actually means. Our perception about minimalism is that we don't use extravagant items, clothes, furniture, or even limit the frequency of buying unnecessary stuff. Concepts like tiny homes, simple cars, and recycled items have become the movement of minimalism for some people who believe that this is one of the ways to lessen or even cure overconsumption. But, what is the definition of minimalism itself?
According to Caleb Backe, a certified health and wellness expert for Maple Holistics, minimalism intentionally focuses on what really matters by eliminating stuff that doesn't make you happy. There are actually a bunch of benefits that you could get from applying this lifestyle as it could give you unattachment from unimportant things, the mindset of quality over quantity, clean and uncluttered environment, and also a simple life. Everyone has their own interpretation of minimalism as an example, some people rather buy clothes from thrift stores to save money and help the environment but some people choose to buy a very expensive car on purpose for it to last longer, and many more examples. The purpose of minimalism itself is most of them to lessen overconsumption over buying unnecessary things that only give pleasure instead of utility. But does minimalism really cure overconsumption?
As it has been stated before that everyone has their own definition of minimalism, we can't really tell if one has managed to fulfill it or disguise it as minimalism. You can't expect people to think that you have managed to live your life fully applying minimalism as your lifestyle since they have different capabilities in terms of materials since whenever we're talking about materials, everyone is different by range. Maybe some people think that buying an expensive car on purpose for it to last longer is considered minimalism, but some of them think that using a mediocre car is already a big spend and some of the others think that using public transportation is frugal, which leads to minimalism. This theory applies in all different kinds of forms.
Therefore, is minimalism the cure for overconsumption? The answer to this question is not as easy as yes or no, as it's relative for each individual.
