We Americans may indeed be “rich” in material terms, but we suffer from what Mother Teresa calls a poverty of spirit. As we chased economic growth we closed ourselves off. We abandoned interconnectedness with other people, beings, and things. We also abandoned ourselves.
Many of the problems in our world today are visual manifestations of such abandonment. If the world isn’t looking the way you want it to look right now, author Jeff Golden argues that solving our (numerous) issues starts by healing our culture-wide poverty of spirit.
Here’s a preview:
[4:00] Money doesn’t make us happy, and the extent to which we strive for stuff is a manifestation of how unhappy we actually are inside
[8:00] How we feel about ourselves impacts how we show up in the world. How we treat others! Whether we regard other beings with love and respect!
[16:00] Exactly why healing our world (and ourselves) may indeed start by getting out of our heads
[32:00] Debunking heady intellectual conversations about the importance of the economy, plus: a laundry list of the ways we use stuff as stand-ins for well-being
[38:00] Tangible ways to “drop into yourself” (because you and others deserve it!)
We’ve all seen the images. The stark white rooms, the single designer chair, the perfectly curated capsule wardrobe. We’re told that if we just clear the clutter, we’ll find peace.
But if we’re not careful, the minimalist aesthetic can become just another thing to buy, another thing to consume.
On today’s show, Melora Johnson deconstructs the modern minimalist movement so that each of us can move from the clutter-free, beige-everything minimalist aesthetic to a deeper, more sustainable practice rooted in intentionality.
Here’s a preview:
[7:30] Feeling that donation high? Here’s why decluttering and donating feels so good in the moment but often fails to stop the cycle of re-accumulation
[11:30] Can authentic minimalism exist in a consumerist culture?
[16:00] Candid thoughts on how and why minimalism has been commercialized
[25:00] How to tell if your minimalism is driving more shopping or actually shrinking your ecological footprint
Hello there, I’m Stephanie. I live a crazy, beautiful life as a full-time wife, blogger + mother to two spirited daughters. I’m on a mission to simplify eco-friendly living so as to greater enjoy life’s sweeter moments.
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