The Wisdom of Tyler Durden

We may recall the 1999 film “Fight Club”. This film, in my opinion, and to my knowledge, is the only film representation of the values of a Minimalist lifestyle (that is not a documentary of course). The main character (Tyler Durden) had many wise quotes from the film. These are:

 

 

“It’s only after you’ve lost everything that you’re free to do anything.”

“Reject the basic assumptions of civilization, especially the importance of material possessions.”

“The liberator who destroys my property is fighting to save my spirit. The teacher who clears all possessions from my path will set me free.”

“Advertising has us chasing cars and clothes, working jobs we hate so we can buy shit we don’t need. We’re the middle children of history. No purpose or place. We have no Great War, No Great Depression. Our great war is a spiritual war. Our great depression is our lives. We’ve all been raised on television to believe that one day we’d all be millionaires and movie gods and rock stars, but we won’t. We’re slowly learning that fact. And we’re very, very pissed off.”

“That world had failed them, because it told them material things were all they’d ever need. It had laid out a life for them instead of letting them choose one for themselves.”

“You are not your job. You’re not how much money you have in the bank. You’re not the car you drive. You’re not the contents of your wallet. You’re not your fucking khakis.”

“The things you own end up owning you.”

“We’re consumers. We are the byproducts of a lifestyle obsession. Murder, crime, poverty, these things don’t concern me. What concerns me are celebrity magazines, television with 500 channels, some guy’s name on my underwear. Rogaine, Viagra, Olestra.”

It’s the small things that make the holidays great

Minimalists have a knack for appreciating the small things in life. At no time is this more true than the holiday season.

I can’t speak for everybody, but I believe I can speak for most when I say that Christmas is all about the small moments we experience with family and friends, or sometimes just by our self that fill us with joy.

 

  • It’s inhaling the smell of fresh pine, or balsam fir.
  • It’s coming into the home from the freezing cold to a cup of hot coco.
  • It’s gazing at the flashing Christmas lights on our tree.
  • It’s watching the look of joy on the children’s faces at the wonderful gifts Santa brought them.
  • It’s cuddling up with our Honey Baby Cookie Sugar in front of the fire (or Yule log video on the TV in my case) under a warm blanket.
  • It’s what happens after we’ve been cuddling a while (you know what I’m talking about).
  • It’s watching our favorite holiday movie for the 200th time and still finding it hilarious.
  • It’s embracing our children, and singing Christmas carols together.

These are the moments that make the holidays special. Let’s put aside our consumerist ways and focus on having more of these moments.

Christmas shopping, the minimalist way

Christmas presents piled underneath a christmas tree.

It’s that time of year again. Where we get to see humanity at its best……and worst. We see people shower family and friends with joy, love, and gifts. But we also see people crowd the stores for the best deals on merchandise. They push, elbow, yell at, and occasionally get physically confrontational with strangers for the sake of acquiring merch for their loved ones. We see them wait on line for hours for the latest tech. All this pain and suffering for the sake of more “stuff”.

To make this Christmas better, let us first remember that it is “people” who are important not “things”. We may all be strangers to each other, but under God we are all bothers and sisters. We should be thinking of each other that way, and therefore treating each other that way.

Second, let us remember that life is all about people and experiences. With that in mind, give the gift of experiences to your loved ones. That is, give them the gift of activities they might enjoy. Perhaps even something they have never done before.

Need some ideas. Here are some:

  • A dinner date
  • A Swedish massage at the local spa (my fave)
  • A night on the town
  • A movie
  • A wine tasting tour
  • A Theater show (Broadway, or off-Broadway)
  • Seats at a sporting event
  • Concert tickets
  • Casino trip (I don’t condone gambling……but just saying)
  • A sporting experience (white water rafting, kayaking, hiking, water skiing, sailing, tubing, bicycle touring, sky diving, etc)
  • A vacation

Let me also add, that if we are going out to shop, be cautious. It’s “The Wild West” out there during this season. Also, shop local; support your local small businesses. The least we can do is make sure the enormous amounts of money we spend for Christmas go toward stimulating our local economy, which in the end, goes right back to us.