The minimalist lifestyle is incredibly difficult to maintain through materialism. The basis of the mindset is getting rid of physical possessions, which is the opposite of materialism.

Minimalism is all about clarifying and finding out what matters the most. Materials can’t be plentiful in such a way of life.

Materialism is all about buying and owning more and more ‘stuff’. The more you have, the better you feel. In depth, it’s supposedly meant to be more satisfying than any spiritual or intangible way of thinking.

The issue facing minimalism is that people want more things all the time. When someone buys something new, it feels great, right?

We love new clothes, new cars, technology, etc. It’s hard not to!

Too much of that way of thinking is considered materialism, especially when you indulge in it.

Materialism doesn’t necessarily mean anything bad at all. What’s bad is when it starts to affect the way we deal with other people.

It’s easy to start thinking highly of yourself and look down on other people when you have more than they do.

Materialism can be dangerous when it begins to form into jealousy and egocentric arrogance. This is why we have so many celebrities who look like a**holes, but it’s also very present in the working class as well.

The minimalist lifestyle isn’t meant to be ‘better’ in a sort of competition than materialism. It’s meant to relieve people from the prison that materialism puts us in.

Is the Minimalism Better than Materialism?

I’m biased on this topic, obviously. But is one better than the other?

Well, the truth is it depends on who you are and what your priorities might be.

Minimalism isn’t something that randomly presents itself in the minds of materialistic people.

You’ve probably read me saying a thousand times that we are told that the more we have means the better we are. The more ‘successful’ we are is supposedly determined by the amount of ‘things’ we own.

Materialism definitely puts us in a prison of dependence, but it doesn’t feel like a prison at all. It feels like having more stuff is awesome.

After all, you have more to choose from, more convenience, and more more to brag about.

Minimalism is a key to freedom from the metaphoric prison of materialism. The less you have, the less you depend on choosing things, the less you feel inconvenienced, and the less you need to brag about.

The reason that people often choose materialism is that 1) they’ve never been presented with minimalism, and 2) they’ve been brainwashed since youth.

It seems dramatic, but why else would we spend our hard-earned money on things that don’t benefit us at all? Things that don’t make us any happier in the long run?

It’s very difficult to switch to minimalism and start thinking that materials and physical possessions don’t matter.

The minimalist lifestyle wasn’t something that I immediately chased, but it wasn’t too hard to follow because of the way I’ve always thought.

However, I’d be lying if I said that there were things I didn’t want to let go of. I honestly regret none of it though, and it definitely benefits me much more than when I owned it all.

Can They Coexist?

This is a hard one to answer. You can own stuff without being a materialistic person.

The problem is that the term ‘materialism’ generally refers to excess.

Materialism means that someone finds materials more beneficial and rewarding than anything intangible.

Can materialism, a tangible craving, coexist with the minimalist lifestyle of chasing happiness through relieving one’s self of that craving?

In short, no it cannot.

You cannot have the cure to a problem and the problem at the same time. The cure rids the person of the problem, it’s just how life works.

Materialism is cured by minimalism. If minimalism rids materialism, then you can’t have them both at the same time.

However, you can totally have your favorite things while being a minimalist.

It’s not impossible or unlikely to have your favorite shirt, car, etc. while living a minimalist lifestyle.

You just couldn’t really own excess of it. Don’t go out buying a new shirt every time you see one that you like.

I mean you can do whatever you want! That’s the joy of life. But if you’re trying to be a minimalist, then having a little bit of self control is vital.

Is the Minimalist Lifestyle Necessary?

No, not at all. There’s plenty of people who find happiness without ever hearing the word ‘minimalism’.

It’s not a all required, because there’s so many different things in life that make us happy.

The great part about minimalism is that it reveals those things. It helps us see what makes us happy, so we don’t have to sift through the clutter of daily life.

To say that the only people who are happy are minimalists would be the biggest joke of all time.

There’s so many people who try minimalism and despise it!

Why? Because it asks you to take away and throw everything down the drain for the most part. Or at least that’s how it seems on the surface.

Personally, I feel like minimalism has made me happier because I’ve always felt like I didn’t want as much ‘stuff’.

Excess, materialism, and consumerism have always been repulsive to me. But that’s not how everyone feels… Not at all.

Minimalism is a huge part of my happiness, or rather it led me to it. It’s not required though. Not at all.

But if there’s a way to find true happiness, and to take away the stress of life, why not give it a chance?