While pursuing my doctoral studies, I watched a documentary called "Living on One Dollar" about two filmmakers who spent their summer vacation living in Guatemala for one dollar a day and trying to understand the poverty and strife the citizens there face daily. And it hit me like a brick ton.
I am ridiculous if I think I am a minimalist.
For before my Netflix viewing eyes, these smiling residents of Peña Blanca are subsisting on nearly nothing by our standards, and cannot even ensure their children attend school if they cannot afford school supplies or need the children to work instead. I'm pretty sure I don't know minimalism.
Getting rid of most of your $50 shoes is not minimalism. Only having 3 beach towels is not minimalism. Not having shit cluttering your garage is indeed, NOT that minimalist.
I hope I haven't brought too much shame to the cause.
I don't want minimalism to fall under the category of "Things White People Like" (an awesome Twitter - if you don't follow, you must). Like, you can only be a minimalist if you're rich and can afford to have nothing? And yeah, I get the irony.
I guess I will try to make my minimalist journey incorporate more gratitude for what this country and my existence has given me. My kids can go to school for free, and I don't worry that they won't have books or supplies or clothes to wear. I can work and write and study important life changing things. The grocery store has what I need. Stuff comes out of the electricity plug when I want it to.
I don't want to be a minimalist farce. I want to do it right.
And I am going to go learn from the people in Central America about minimalism and gratitude. And appreciate the privilege of de-cluttering that this world we live in brings.
www.livingonone.org if you're interested.
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