Minimalist Living: The Simplicity of Simplicity

How did this happen?

What doesn't help is that many of us equate success with professional success. A successful person is someone who has a flashy car, wears nice suits, owns a Rolex, and occupies a position of power and importance in their workplace. It doesn't matter if they are really happy. Advertising reinforces this view. The models on magazine covers look good because of the expensive sanitary products they use. To smell like Jonny Depp (and thus find love), you have to spend $50 on cologne. And to feel like you've accomplished something in life, you need a TV at least 34" wide. It doesn't matter if you actually have time to watch it. Without wanting to sound like a conspiracy theorist, this is a status quo that greatly benefits the government and benefits any capitalist economy. The more dissatisfied you feel with what you have, the more you work and the more you spend. That means you are funneling more money into the economy. It also doesn't help that everyone else subscribes to pretty much the same opinion. If you look at your neighbor, you'll probably notice that they've bought into the same idea. They too probably have a huge flat-screen TV, a nice car and an important job. Their house is probably full of expensive trinkets from their travels. Never mind that they only get to travel once every 52 weeks. This is partly due to simple human nature. The "social comparison theory" states that we look to others to better evaluate ourselves. In other words, you feel successful not by how much money you have, but by how much money you have compared to your neighbor. And with the models wearing Rolexes on TV. Studies show that if you compare yourself to someone who has less than you, you will be happier. If you compare yourself to someone who has more, you will be dissatisfied. The irony is that it doesn't matter how much you actually have, as long as you come out looking good in the comparison.