| Minimalism |
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Americans in today’s society consume more than any other humans on earth….since the beginning of man kind. Is the acquisition of goods fundamentally linked to an individual’s happiness in life? If an outside observer analyzed American’s
decisions, it would appear the driving force is a subconscious belief that economic progress is necessary for happiness. The founders of Atlas have reviewed the last 10,000 years of history and have drawn the conclusion there is no empirical evidence to support that theory. In fact, there is much more evidence to the contrary. Less possessions = more happiness. Why is it that people in India, despite making less than $5,000 a year, appear so content? A fundamental design principle is to create tiny living spaces that force each habitant to strip down possessions to bare minimums of practicality. This has several benefits: (a) it keeps life simple and thus easy (b) keeps costs down to allow more economic freedom (c) produces an enormous amount of free time since there is so little to organize, buy, fix, replace, do (d) creates a positive energy similar to feng shui. Baggage can develop in anyone’s life (physical as well as emotional/mental/spiritual). Purging all the baggage every once in awhile can be extremely healthy and induce personal growth. Eliminating unnecessary personal belongings is a powerful tool towards cleaning up other areas of life. Comments (0) |