Minimalism as a Lifestyle, or Justifying My Keyboard Obsession

I’d call myself a minimalist. Not a hardcore one, though. I don’t plan to live in a trailer or become a digital nomad, for two.

Minimalism is a hard thing to define. People bicker about it a lot; they argue over what is “real” minimalism and what isn’t. Some like minimalism for the aesthetic, some like to live simply, some hate the modern-day incarnation of capitalism.

I am all of those people, in different ways. That’s why I’d call myself a minimalist.

“Wait,” you say. “How can you be a minimalist if you own so many keyboards?”

“And how can you be a minimalist if your room looks so ugly?”

“Can a minimalist hoard so much data?”

“You have too many email addresses.”

On r/minimalism (which I don’t browse) and other such internet congregations, people can simultaneously believe that one thing isn’t minimal enough and that another is far too minimal.

One group of people will say that a living room should be stripped to its bare essentials, while another will complain that a living room without accents feels too cold. And all of these people call themselves “minimalists”.

There are so many definitions for minimalism. And it couldn’t be said that any of them are wrong. They all fit the mainstream definition and yet, they are so different. How come?

Ultimately, minimalism is all about the mind. It’s about reducing the need to think about and deal with stuff. That’s why people’s minimalisms differ so much; it’s because their minds are different and they’re better at dealing with certain things than with others. It sounds obvious, and yet, people are still bickering about which kind of minimalism is “right”.

They’re all right! People who like minimalism for the aesthetics find it calming to see beautiful and simple objects, while people who don’t give a damn about aesthetics are more calmed by having fewer objects. Some people will feel overwhelmed with having to deal with a lot of browser extensions, while others feel better using extensions that help streamline their browsing experience.

Here’s an example from my own life: this website. It’s made in a pretty “complicated” way, and undoubtedly overkill. But I like having complete control over everything, and in my mind, that makes things simpler for me. For other people, though, they’re happier using a simple Content Management System Website Thing, because they don’t have to do very much, and that makes things simpler for them.

I can own a lot of keyboards because they make me happy. I won’t own much of anything else, because those other objects don’t bring me any sort of enjoyment, so I’d rather not keep them. And in the future, when I inevitably lose my interest in keyboards, I’ll sell them. And I’ll be happy with that.