Author: Anthony

I recall once reading an essay from a minimalist where the meat of it read something like “Before making that $50 purchase at the store, ask yourself, ‘Is this worth $50 of my freedom?'” Woe Wooooe FREEDOM? really? We are equating money to freedom? Money is important no doubt. It is the means by which we acquire the things we need to survive. So yeah, it’s damn important. But money is not freedom. There is something we have that does equate to freedom however (wait for it). Freedom is not something you earn, it is an inalienable right, and gift from God. We all have it. It can be taken from us however, and we can even squander it away. Those of us that realize the true value of freedom, use that freedom for growth/passion and relationships. Have we figured out what freedom is yet?? ………. it’s time.

Time is a far more valuable commodity than money. Let us not forget that happiness is the goal here. Studies have shown that the correlation between money and happiness is not direct; in fact it’s very limited. Some poll studies point out a clear cap off point on any direct relationship between money and happiness (and the cap is low). Other psychological studies show that it is more dependent on an individuals ability to be happy; based totally on their mental health. So as I see it, ones happiness is only really dependent on our health, and time. How we spend their life/time. Do we have time? Is our time our own, or is it obligated to, or stolen by someone or something else?

In this reality we live in, we have to trade time for money. That’s just the way it is. We work 40-60 hours a week at a job to get paid. If our job is our passion, our purpose, a career, then this is not really a trade is it? We are spending our time wisely, AND getting paid for it (that’s what we call a win-win situation). But if we work just to make a living, this is a trade (time for money). Being that we need money to survive, this is an even trade; a good use of our freedom/time.

What is an uneven trade, is the copious amounts of time some people give to build a lavish life around them for their loved ones, which they themselves can’t take part in because of all the time their putting in. These are the people that place money in higher value than time. As a result, these are the people that squander away their lives (their time), and end up regretting it. These are the people who grow old and say “I wish I had spent more time with my kids when they were young. I wish I had spent more time with my family.” Now, thanks to their worship of the almighty dollar, they and their family suffers from all the time lost, squandered, when good relationships could have been made/maintained.

I spend a great deal of time observing and thinking about people, and what makes them happy. One thing I can’t help but notice is that people that are generally unhappy with their lives find fleeting happiness in very frequently engaging in “quick pleasures.” These are the things that become habits, which provide temporary pleasure, but can be destructive in the longer run. Examples of things that fall in this category are:

 

• Smoking
• Drinking
• Drugs
• unhealthy and/or excessive eating
• Sex
• Empty calorie entertainment (TV, video games, etc)

Don’t get me wrong. Most of the things that are considered “quick pleasures” (QP) are fine in moderation. Sex for example, is not only one of the most natural, but it is one of our most necessary activities. I encourage it. But it is a QP nonetheless, and as a result can become very addicting and therefore destructive if done excessively and irresponsibly.

The problem comes in when the QP crosses the line from being a satisfying recreational activity, to becoming a replacement activity to compensate for an unsatisfying life.

Ah, but did the QP problem cause the unhappiness, or did the unhappiness cause the QP problem? Irrelevant! But what is relevant, and true, is that they feed each other. The miserable life forces the individual to find solace in their vices, and the vices allow the individual to not have to face the underlying problem of their life; so the problem gets worse. This is the best case scenario (if said QP happens to be one of the healthier ones). I don’t believe I have to mention the additional ways most of the QP’s  can hurt an already miserable life.

In the end the truth is this:

QP’s don’t cause long term sustained happiness. Living a good satisfying life does; a life of healthy uplifting relationships, a life of purpose, a life of contribution, a life of growth. QP’s if not carefully moderated, can in fact, drain the long term happiness.

So as minimalists, the one thing we should periodically circle back to, is analyzing our lives to determine if the quick pleasures in our lives are in any way draining our long term happiness. If they are, then we have more de-cluttering to do.