Minimalism and Simplicity - Road to Resilience

A bit cheeky, yes. The point is that many roads lead to resilience, I’ve written a five part series on Substack about this, drawing a clear route to creating a more resilient and less susceptible life. However, many recent tragedies, like the flooding in Texas, reminds us of the fragility of life, how quickly it can all change and what really does matter.

Modern day minimalism has many founders, historically its origins are in an artistic movement from New York in the 1960s, or from philosophical teachings in early Japan and the Roman Empire. Prior to the industrial revolution, humanity held onto useful things, devices and accoutrements that lead to the production or sustainment of shelter, food and water. Literal survival. Frivolous items, luxury items in economic speak, were only found in the Lords of the feudal style systems.

Simplicity has many modern flavours, from voluntary simplicity - akin to shedding life of commitments, possessions and all that doesn’t support a narrow path, to calendar management strategies by Greg McKeweon in his book, Essentialism. It is the intentional design of a life that pursues that which brings joy and essentials - shelter, food, and water. A modern version of returning to the reality of pre-modernism life for the 99% who did not live in castles.

I return to these ideas when I reflect on my life’s adventures. With 28 years in the Army, I’ve lost count of the exercises, where for weeks I would live out of a backpack and be fine. Well, cold wet and hungry, but there is a weird romantic ideology of carrying everything you’ll need on your back. Several international deployments in different climates and under less permissive environments provides a similar story - the idea that when we break life down to its most basic requirements, not much is necessary.

When I consider that I had to physically carry everything I needed, choice becomes a necessity. An 80 pound rucksack sounds cool and makes you look like a warrior and beast, then you turn fifty and can barely climb stairs. Intelligence taught us that you police your gear ruthlessly, to only possess what is absolutely essential to support your ability to complete the task ahead, and nothing else. So if that was successful in the Army across the world, why wouldn’t it be for life?

If resilience is what we argued last week:“the ability of an elastic material (such as rubber or animal tissue) to absorb energy (such as from a blow) and release that energy as it springs back to its original shape”. (physics 101); or translated to social science: will enable us to absorb energy (exogenous shock from events we cannot control), to spring back to our original shape?, then is it not logical to be less complicated and committed?

If we only held onto what we needed and did only what met our personal missions, would that not bring a better quality of life and by definition, make us more capable of absorbing energy and returning to stasis? That’s the argument for minimalism and simplicity as a roadmap to resilience. Here is my story (spoiler alert - this strategy is how I become resilient)

I was first exposed to minimalism when I read the book, 100 Thing Challenge, by Dave Bruno. He tried an experiment, to see if he could live with just 100 individual items for a period of time. His family didn’t participate, just Dave and his stuff. The book is a wonderful expose of what is actually necessary in life. Not that the number 100 means anything, it was simply a frame for his experiment. His takeaway, and mine, was that to live in a modern, technologically enabled world and to succeed, few material possessions are required. Fewer to lose, move, clean, manage, fix, track and in the worst of times, to evacuate with replace in a total loss. I later read and subscribed to the titans of today’s minimalism, Joshua Becker, Courtney Carver, the Minimalists (who I saw in person), Marie Kondo, etc. Learning as I went, but grounded in Dave’s book. I periodically re-read it, a gem on my bookshelf.

Simplicity became a moniker in the early 21st century, when I understood that I was pursuing many activities for the benefit of others, with little positive externality. Trying to do everything at my job to please a boss, to receive a great annual report that may lead to a promotion or cool job. I learned one truth, that the calendar is a reflection of my self-respect. Greg’s book Essentialism spoke to protecting your time - calendar in a modern sense - as your method of keeping sane. If anyone wanted to take your time, the only irreplaceable asset you have, then it must be a “hell yes, jump out of your chair yes”, otherwise, the answer was no. To family, friends, colleagues and where possible, your employer. Guarding your free time and access to you is the one true measure of how you value yourself - a slave to the whims of others, or someone who expends time on what matters to them and the society in which they choose to live.

Those two books led to a long personal reflection on my physical and time commitments. Over a several year period, I shed much of what I owned and retired from a near equal number of commitments. I now work for me, volunteer with one not for profit organization, create products in one space and live modestly. My calendar is mostly clear, my physical space uncluttered, but I unquestionably have everything I need to do what brings me joy and the time. Freedom.

I’m resilient because I possess only that which I need to live the life I want and that I only do what I believe is in my best interest. Two simple rules. Could I fit all my possessions in a small car? Hell yes, other than some of my larger and well used outdoor gear, I could pack all my clothes, personal items and work related items into two suitcases and a carry on. I can move everything I need to live, work and leisure within airline requirements. That is resiliency, mobility, shock absorption. The value of my possessions, well that is another essay - I believe in purchasing quality, long lasting gear, so much of what I have are expensive to replace. If you only change your rain jacket every ten years, while smashing through brutal outdoor conditions on wild adventures, is it not worth it? I trust that coat much more than many humans.

Everyone has their own pathways to resilience, this is but the second of many I’m writing on. To inform, entertain and discuss the number of methods that you can employ to move your life more towards the scientific definition of resilience: Absorb energy, return to stasis.

This is but one roadmap, minimalism and simplicity.