Universal Core of Ethics

Standalone Essays · Character and Virtue

Minimalism and Voluntary Simplicity

The practice of minimalism is intentionally subtracting everything from your life that distracts you from your mission and calling. Things you might have formerly considered a gain, might need to be re-evaluated in view of healthier life goals. As Antoine de Saint-Exunery put it:
“Perfection is finally attained, not when there is no longer anything to add, but when there is no longer anything to take away.”
It’s not about being poor, as if poverty is innately holy. It’s about having just the right number of things – enough to get the job done while enjoying life, but not falling into the trap of idolizing things. You might possibly get eighty-five years of life. Why spend sixty-five of those years paying for stuff you can’t really afford, don’t truly offer joy, and that others will simply end up rifling through on the auction table once you’ve died?
“People who live far below their means enjoy a freedom that people busy upgrading their lifestyles can’t fathom.” - Naval Ravikant
“If a little is not enough for you, then nothing is.” - Epicurus

Yet the opposite error is just as real. Extreme forms of asceticism, such as prolonged fasting or self-mortification, can lead to malnutrition, illness, and other health problems. Isolation, deprivation, and a constant focus on self-denial can contribute to feelings of loneliness, depression, and anxiety. In fact, this was the case for many monks and hermits throughout history. The Catholic church applied the Greek term “acedia” to it, and as usual got it wrong. But regardless of its original Greek meaning, it came to be known as the listless, depressed ennui that hermits struggled with. An overly ascetic lifestyle can lead to an imbalanced approach to life, where one neglects other important aspects such as relationships, personal growth, and contributing to society. Colossians 2:23 states, “These have indeed an appearance of wisdom in self-made religion and humility and severe treatment of the body, but are of no value against the indulgence of the flesh.” So there’s the Apostle Paul’s take on the issue. And after initially pursuing a life of severe asceticism and finding it unfulfilling, the Buddha advocated for a path of moderation, known as the “Middle Way.” In his first sermon, the Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta, he described his realization that extreme asceticism did not lead to enlightenment: “These two extremes, monks, are not to be practiced by one who has gone forth from the household life. What are the two? There is addiction to indulgence of sense-pleasures, which is low, coarse, the way of ordinary people, unworthy, and unprofitable; and there is addiction to self-mortification, which is painful, unworthy, and unprofitable.”

Minimalism and voluntary simplicity are a part of learning humility and fleeing the dangers of materialism. It’s not externals that defile you. It’s your heart – your mind – how you perceive and value things that can defile you. Among those defiling things are greed, pride, and the foolish pursuit of happiness through ownership. Your better portions can be choked out through unnecessary worries, riches, and the pleasures of life. You may come to have those things yet lose out on producing mature fruit. What’s the point in accumulating stuff if in the process you lose your honor?
Voluntary simplicity is thus a means of watching out, of guarding against greed by reminding yourself that you are not defined by your possessions. It’s choosing who or what you will serve and through that choice working at having others define you by your virtue.
“A home with fewer possessions is more spacious, more calming, and more focused on the people who live inside it.” - Joshua Becker
“The more we value things, the less we value ourselves.” - Bruce Lee
Minimalism is a pursuit of freedom; freedom from debt, freedom of time and space, and freedom from the rat race that this world’s culture has embraced. In fact, it is a disciplined rejection of this world’s cultural values to be able to clarify our best priorities. It’s coming to the realization that the fewer things we own, the fewer things we must clean and maintain!
Modern culture tries to get you to focus on what clothes you wear, what car you drive, what team or political party you support. These are substituted for the worthier values of humility, simplicity, and service. Let your personal culture value people for their character rather than their things. To do that, you must place a premium on your OWN character and systematically devalue things – thus the practice of voluntary simplicity.

In fact, this shallow form of identification bears an unsettling resemblance to racism. Both are based on superficial characteristics: just as racism focuses on external traits such as skin color or ethnicity, the shallow identification encouraged by consumer culture often revolves around external markers of status or affiliation, such as clothing brands, car models, or political symbols. Both create divisions and barriers, fostering a sense of us vs. them that can lead to tension, conflict, and mistrust. Both perpetuate stereotypes, reducing individuals to simplistic categories and robbing them of their complexity and individuality. And both can be used as a basis for discrimination, as people are judged, excluded, or treated unfairly based on superficial characteristics rather than their inherent qualities or actions.

Minimalism and voluntary simplicity are not just about physical clutter. They also involve the over-commitment you see on your calendar. It means de-cluttering your email inboxes and your to do lists. It means reducing your debt, freeing up some to give to the poor.
“There is great happiness in not wanting; in not being something; in not going somewhere.” - Krishnamurti
Again, minimalism is not necessarily about depriving yourself. It’s more about not holding on to things, depending on things, needing things to validate your existence, or defining you as successful.
“There is no dignity quite so impressive and no independence quite so important as living within our means.” - Calvin Coolidge
It’s about knowing that all material things are passing and are thus not that important. You will be more available for compassionate service if you don’t allow unworthy things or unhealthy, time-eating but essentially worthless relationships to clutter your life.

Applied to our relationships, this follows a simple principle: “Seek out none, welcome the wise, be kind to all.”

Pursuing minimalism and voluntary simplicity is a way to develop contentment and satisfaction in your life, and of securing yourself in something that cannot leave you or forsake you.
“Be content with what you have; rejoice in the way things are. When you realize there is nothing lacking, the whole world belongs to you.” - Lao Tzu

This is why I borrowed the term “enoughness” from Alison Robertson. Contentment generally refers to a feeling of satisfaction or happiness with one’s current situation or circumstances. Enoughness, on the other hand, suggests a more deliberate focus on determining what is truly necessary or sufficient for a fulfilling life, rather than always striving for more. Contentment connotes a feeling, while the newer term “enoughness” seems to connote a decision, or an act of the will. It has a more active connotation, implying a need to actively define and pursue what is truly enough, rather than simply accepting whatever circumstances happen to arise. By using the term, I emphasize the importance of mindfulness and reflection in determining what is truly important in life, and the need to resist the pressures of consumerism and materialism.

Many people drive themselves to get degrees and high paying jobs, so they can get more things, which necessitate bigger houses, which require more money and time…only to have to downsize as they age. They get a smaller house and get rid of their clutter when they are forced to by their inability to maintain it all. Then they get rid of even more as they enter either a retirement home or their children’s homes. Finally, they die, leaving it all behind for others to paw through at an auction. What a waste!
“I’m beginning to suspect that the second half of life is about learning to let go of everything I feverishly collected over the first half that wasn’t loving or human.” - Tiny Buddha
“There are two ways to get enough. One is to continue to accumulate more and more. The other is to desire less and less.” - G.K. Chesterton
Better to have a few valuable and useful things that bring you joy, with contentment and righteousness, than having all those shiny baubles – along with stress.
“What if I want to live simply? To drink coffee and watch the sunrise with nowhere to go. To climb a mountain for the view – not for the selfie. To cook healthy, wholesome food to nourish my body, not to lose weight. To spend more time with my family, not working to afford things we don’t need. It’s time to slow down; to stop; to listen. It’s time to turn off the noise and distractions, the constant need for more, the comparisons and consumerism. It’s time to live simply and be wild and free.” - Helen Munday
As Mother Theresa put it, “The more you have, the more occupied you are. The less you have, the freer you are.” You may find that the more of your clutter that you donate, the more you will be able to breathe. The more trash you dispose of, the less weight you will carry around. The more stuff you take out of your living space, the easier it will be to see and think. The less clutter, the more life you’ll enjoy. Teach yourself to prefer extra space and extra time over extra stuff. Remember, “Your home is living space, not storage space.” - Francine Jay

The Traveler’s Pack: What to Carry, What to Leave Behind

In the heart of Africa I lived in a tent that came down every morning and went up every evening. Everything I owned traveled on my back through dense jungle. Simplicity wasn’t a lifestyle choice—it was survival. When your life fits in a pack, your relationship with possessions changes forever.

Every item earned its place against four unforgiving questions:

If it failed even one, it stayed behind. We couldn’t afford the luxury of sentiment.

The Mental Rucksack

The jungle is behind me now, but the trail remains. We’re all travelers—only the terrain has changed. And most of us are dangerously overpacked.

We carry the weight of old wounds, the bulk of unnecessary possessions and commitments, the noise of endless pings and comparisons, and the illusion that more will make us whole.

Ask yourself the same four questions about everything you carry today:

Invitations for the Week

Simplicity is a muscle that grows with small, daily flexes:

If you wish to go deeper, there are many good books on simplicity and minimalism. “Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less” by Greg McKeown explores the idea of essentialism as a way to simplify and focus our lives, by identifying what is truly important and eliminating everything else. “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up” by Marie Kondo offers practical tips and strategies for decluttering and simplifying our physical environment, based on the author’s “KonMari” method. “Digital Minimalism: Choosing a Focused Life in a Noisy World” by Cal Newport explores the impact of digital distractions on our attention and productivity, and offers strategies for reducing our reliance on technology. And “The Power of Less” by Leo Babauta offers practical tips and advice for simplifying various aspects of our lives, from our physical environment to our mental and emotional well-being.

Moshe was a water carrier back in the days before people had indoor plumbing and water had to be brought in from a well. He would wake up every morning at four and beg to haul water to people’s houses so they could have fresh water for their breakfasts. He was paid a small sum for his service but he would also bring water to the poor and to widows with no sons to help them and he wouldn’t charge for it because he had a good heart.
Moshe married a beautiful young woman and they soon had children. They were very, very poor. His children were sometimes hungry and his beautiful wife had to dress in shabby clothes. This situation distressed Moshe and he would often wish he had more money. He would ruminate over his poverty as he hauled the water every day and dream of bringing his wife to a store to buy fine clothes and of seeing his children eating to their fill at a table covered in delicacies. Many years of such thoughts only brought discouragement. One morning though, as he was carrying his yoke of water buckets, he saw a leather pouch lying on the road and inside were one hundred coins! He was so happy he cried. He danced and whistled. But that evening he heard that a neighbor had died and left behind his wife and eleven children. They had not a penny to their name and were starving. He felt immediately convicted to give them the money he had found. He fought that urge with everything he had. He had wished for money and after years of deprivation it had finally come - but he was miserable thinking about this widow and her eleven children starving while he had the means to provide for them. As he was wrestling with this issue, he arrived at the spring where he got his water. There before him was the pipe out of which the precious water had flowed for many years - longer than he’d been alive, in fact. He suddenly understood. He was to be like that pipe. Fate had given him the means to be a blessing. He had to take care of his family too, but he didn’t have to be grasping and selfish about it. He could share some with this other family. It wouldn’t solve all their problems, but he wasn’t responsible for solving everything for them, was he? He was just responsible to do what he could with what he had. Plugging up the spring’s pipe would cause its water to become stagnant. Holding on to the little bit of money he’d gained would do the same to his soul. He would give some of the money to his neighbor’s widow. Who knew? Perhaps some more would come down the pipeline. He walked down the road singing again, his joy restored and the world beautiful once more.

See also: Essays