Stories
Slash Boxes
Comments

SoylentNews is people

The Many Reasons Why Less is More for the People Choosing Modest Lives

posted by Fnord666 on Saturday April 08 2017, @02:21AM   Printer-friendly
from the minimalism dept.

Phoenix666 writes:

Phys.org reports:

The idea of a life lived modestly is gaining traction. Ten years ago, Samantha Weinberg, a mother of two young children, spent a year not shopping. Her aim was to reduce her environmental impact. The next year, Mark Boyle, founder of the online Freeconomy community, embarked on a life without money in order to sever his connection with it. Since then, others have joined this "Not Spending" movement.

Frugality has its limitations. Not everyone is able-bodied enough to cycle, and if we all started foraging for wild food it would deprive non-human species of nutrients and disrupt local ecosystems. While minimalism has found new converts, especially in Japan, this extreme approach is unlikely to go mainstream.

Perhaps a more realistic hope is for a steady rise in the number of people who discover that pursuing non-material riches brings greater happiness than the getting and spending of money. In fact, significant numbers of "voluntary simplifiers" have been choosing and enjoying lives of material simplicity for decades.

Have Soylentils found greater happiness through simplification?

Original Submission

 
This discussion has been archived. No new comments can be posted.
The Many Reasons Why Less is More for the People Choosing Modest Lives | Log In/Create an Account | Top | 59 comments | Search Discussion
Display Options Threshold/Breakthrough Mark All as Read Mark All as Unread
The Fine Print: The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. We are not responsible for them in any way.

  • (Score: 2) by Snotnose on Saturday April 08 2017, @05:02AM (2 children)

    by Snotnose (1623) on Saturday April 08 2017, @05:02AM (#490704)

    Not sure what you're getting at but I have a pair of saddlebags on my bike (used to do bike vacations, and ride my bike to work). In a light week I can fit maybe 1/2 my groceries in the saddlebags, in a normal week it 1/3. I could wear a backpack, but that would get hot and sweaty.

    Point is, I can do the bike thing if I have to. But it's a lot easier to dump a gallon of gas in the car and do in an hour what it would take 3-4 hours on a bike.

    --
    When the dust settled America realized it was saved by a porn star.
    Starting Score:    1  point
    Karma-Bonus Modifier   +1  
    Total Score:   2  

  • (Score: 2) by c0lo on Saturday April 08 2017, @05:08AM (1 child)

    by c0lo (156) Subscriber Badge on Saturday April 08 2017, @05:08AM (#490706) Journal

    (sorry, a bad joke. Imagine yourself riding the bike without a saddle, now that would be PITA)

    --
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford

    • (Score: 2) by Snotnose on Saturday April 08 2017, @05:12AM

      by Snotnose (1623) on Saturday April 08 2017, @05:12AM (#490707)

      Or a lot of fun, depending on things we don't judge here. Think South Park where Garrison invented the big wheel you could ride in.

      / would not be fun for me
      // Oh yeah, slashies don't go here
      /// Slashies!! Oh, wait.....

      --
      When the dust settled America realized it was saved by a porn star.