Comparing Thoreau And The Minimalists

The minimalists are a movement that advocates for the removal of excess in our lives in order to gain more time to live fuller. They argue for not only getting rid of material possessions, but also to get rid of bad relationships, electronic clutter, and even sentimental items. The Minimalists argue to reduce the excess in your life, which echoes Thoreau; however, their true purpose is to argue for living life with purpose.

The Minimalists argue for ridding your life of excess things, in a similar way to Thoreau, so that you may free your life of ties to material objects in order to focus on more important things. The Minimalists contend that “by clearing the clutter from life’s path, we can all make room for the most important aspects of life: health, relationships, passion, growth, and contribution.” The Minimalists argue that having material possessions only holds you back. They do not allow you to truly experience life. Similarly, Thoreau proposes that “the more you have of such things the poorer you are.” Both Thoreau and the Minimalists

The Minimalists say that being busy is a curse. That being busy to be busy does not allow you to do anything of real value. On the other hand, “being focused... involves attention, awareness, and intentionality.” All of these things indicate that the work that is accomplished while focused are done for a reason beyond simply doing work. The Minimalists go on to say that, even though they do less now that they are focused and not busy, “the significance of each undertaking has gone up.” Thoreau also belittles busyness when he writes “it is not enough to be busy. The question is: what are we busy about?” Thoreau concurs with the Minimalists that being busy by itself is a bad thing; spending time on something that matters, however, is true