A Minimalistic life

In spite of the unapologetic embrace of the motto "more is more" by Gen Z, growing up mostly online, happiness has remained elusive to many of this generation across the globe.

- BY MANAS DAS

Consequently, what is getting thin is their well-cherished faith of finding peace, bliss and assertive self-expression in astronomical salary, luxury cars, new gadgets, and all-pervasive opulence. Many of this generation discover at the end of the day that they are not happy despite working 70 to 80 hours a week. And the endless pursuit of more stuff is found to bring them more debt, anxiety, fear, stress, loneliness, guilt, paranoia and depression. It becomes a solipsistic experience.

What is worse, they discover that they have no control of their time and thus of their lives. And then, as their lives spiral downwards towards an empty oblivion, they inadvertently discover minimalism which appears like a beacon in the dark sea. The renewed discovery of a mode of simple living where people find genuine happiness, passion and freedom has found favour with a great number of people, including millennials, around the globe. People fed up with more seek happiness in less. They want to live a life which is filled with passion and freedom, a life in which they can grow as individuals and contribute beyond themselves.

They realize that growth and contribution are the bedrocks of happiness, not goods. The rampaging pandemic and consequent lockdown a few years ago put all of us into a 'new normal' mode of life. During that grim period, even the greatest spendthrifts among us began to learn or at least show interest in the benefits of minimalism to keep safe and secure in an alarming atmosphere of disease, death, deprivation, and helplessness. The pandemic made us think of how life was centuries ago, in a cave with a partner and not much more. Many of us began to feel that our "caveman" mentality was dominating our consumerist selves.