You’d think I would just go on and mind my own business, but no. I actually did it; I wrote a reply about today’s craziness concerning Mr. Everett Bogue. This post is something that has been on my mind for a while now (ever since people started dropping the term ‘cyborg’ to refer to themselves) and today seemed like the perfect opportunity to finally get it down in writing. So. Here’s my view on this circus…
Minimalism is dead, being a cyborg is in?
This statement seems like a bit of flawed logic to me. I was never a star at mathematics, but to me, it seems somewhat wrong to assume that there’s a sort of ‘minimalist evolution’ that is absolute. The logic I’m referring to is this:
Consumerist evolves into minimalist… evolves into cyborg?
Apparently, becoming a cyborg is the natural upgrade for the minimalists. We can just wait and see our minimalist friends evolve into cyborgs one by one. It may take a week or it may take a year, but one thing is sure: cyborgs have the future and sooner or later, we’ll all join the club. Right.
I will tell you right now once and for all: becoming someone who is continuously plugged in to the internet, relying on this system as their ‘mental arms and legs’ to me sounds like hell on earth. I’m a minimalist alright, but I long for a simple life. A quiet life. A small impact on this planet. And while I may not be tied to one physical location ‘because my stuff keeps me here’, I actually find joy in living in one place for an extended amount of time, being a part of a local community and enjoying real life, twitterless, face-to-face relationships.
The Amish are just waiting to become cyborgs, too?
Which brings me to the other part of this post: the Amish. For as long as I can remember, I’ve been fascinated by these people. These are the true minimalists! A people living only with what they need, (considerably less than we think we need!) free from the distractions of the internet, owning very little ‘stuff’. They live in small, clutter-free houses, have wardrobes with only one type of clothing in them and don’t waste any of their time on Facebook or in front of the T.V., because they haven’t even got electricity. Minimalists for sure, cyborgs – not at all.
I’ve said it many times, jokingly… and my wife is even serious when she states: “I’m moving in with the Amish one day!” But seriously, join the Amish if you want a simple life, a minimalist life, free from the burden of consumerism, online distractions and high-tech gadgets. Where there still is time to enjoy nature. Time to see your children grow up. Time to take a long walk through the woods. True minimalist bliss.
There’s no ‘one size fits all minimalism’
What I’m saying is this: not all minimalists are created equal. There are many reasons why someone would want to pursue a minimalist lifestyle. For some it’s the mental freedom they acquire when they don’t have to care for so many things… for others, it’s the joy they get from knowing they’re making a smaller impact on the environment. For others yet, it’s not spending money on frivolities, but setting aside vast amounts to donate to charity. The reasons are numerous. We’re not ‘one people’ with ‘one mind’, minimalism is something that appeals to people from all nooks of society. The Buddhist monk is a minimalist, the Amish is a minimalist and… the cybernetic yogi is a minimalist. And while all are pursuing one form of minimalism, the Amish nor the Buddhist monk (nor Jurino!) would ever dream of becoming a cyborg, connected to the internet 24/7 and managing relationships through Twitter.
Starting a revolution
So, the conclusion is… while mr. Bogue may have been a leader of some sorts (at least for those minimalists that are active online and enjoy reading his posts at ‘Far beyond the stars’) I just think it’s incredibly arrogant (and just plain ignorant!) to state something like: “the worldwide minimalist movement was unlocked because I sold all my stuff and jumped on a plane to Portland”. I mean…. Nigga, please! The minimalist movement didn’t start in 2009, nor did it end in 2011. There have been minimalists since the beginning of time and there will be minimalists until, yes, the end of time. You’re just a brick in the wall. There have been others before you and there will come others after you. You are not the alpha and omega of minimalism. You may have had some impact, but don’t give yourself this much credit, it’s just embarrassing.
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30 Responses to Of cyborgs and Amish
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[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by zenofbeingmommy and think minimal, Jurino Ignacio. Jurino Ignacio said: Even the Amish will become cyborgs? – http://tinyurl.com/4oyegyk [...]
Awesome post! I contemplated Bogue’s post and his new website for about two minutes. To me, Bogue was nothing more than a hack writer, rewriting things that other said long before he came along. He started out as somewhat insightful to newbies and then quickly being pessimistic and arrogant. To be honest, I’m glad he’s moved on. I’m sure he’ll be selling something new again, but maybe this time people won’t buy into it.
You have a new subscriber. Thanks for the excellent read.
Hi Jim!
Thanks for stopping by. To be honest, Everett’s books were amongst the few that I really enjoyed. I had a chance to buy many of these ‘minimalist’ books in one sale, all for about 10% of their original price. If I’m completely honest, I was glad I didn’t pay full price for many of them, because they simply weren’t worth it. I liked the different tone of Everett’s books ‘though. But hey, even I’m not crazy enough to pay $20 a month for blog-posts-in-a-different-form ;)
I agree. Minimalism is a philosophy, not an evolutionary step, and it does not automatically prime you for something like the “cyborg” living that certain people have come to embrace. They should not attribute their personal success to the rise and fall of minimalism, and they should know that minimalism will not die because they chose to stop writing/selling/living it.
Honestly, I was shocked when I saw the latest post on “Far Beyond the Stars.” I was not expecting it, and I am somewhat taken aback by his new profession of “evolutionary cyborg life.”
I don’t agree, and thank you for this post. It was needed.
Hi Stephen! Thanks for commenting. I was just shocked by the fact he bought a domain name just to say that, hehe. But you’re right. Minimalism is such a broad area, it can’t be narrowed down to these few backpackers that are location independent because they’ve sold everything. So while ‘that’ brand of minimalism may be dead (which I don’t believe, since many others are still doing it, but hey..) the buddhist monk has no news in that message. He’ll just continue to pursue minimalism as his ancestors did before him….
Mooie post!
Niets hebben is voor die mensen het zelfde als alles hebben voor anderen. Een race om dingen niet te hebben, in plaats van wel te hebben. Weinig verschil, al met al.
Gandi en Jezus, die waren pas minimalistisch.
Een tijdje geleden had mijn liefje mijn laptop gesloopt. Ik was dolblij met de bijna gloednieuwe die ik hierna van mijn vader kreeg, maar fijn een boekje lezen en wat kletsen met liefje was ook niet verkeerd.
Er is zo veel te zien en zo veel te doen op het internet maar het is niet het echte leven. En dat is moeilijker maar veel mooier.
zo, klik… *uit*
Hoi Gerlinde! Klopt helemaal :)
Soms trekken mensen het fenomeen ‘minimalisme’ iets te ver en wordt het zelfs erger dan het ‘keeping up with the joneses’ van de consumenten. Leef jij nog met 200 dingen? Belachelijk! Ik heb er slechts 50! Eigenlijk best wel vreemd als je het zo leest.
Ik ben het roerend eens met je laatste zin… op het internet zijn informatie, relaties en ervaringen heel makkelijk te verkrijgen, maar in het echte leven kost dat meer moeite. Die is het dan wel weer dubbel en dwars waard!
I enjoyed this post and retweeted it. I love the Amish simplicity, though I am too plugged in to go there.
My personal goal as a minimalist is to find a happy medium; use the technology to free myself for a simpler life; not to allow it to become my life.
As such; technology has helped me greatly; I earn my income online via an internet connection, I read my books on the computer and use this machine as not only my television but my stereo as well–for this it is perfect, because it takes many purposes (even a phone) and places them in a single device.
That said, I do this in order to spend more time with the kid, taking walks, hanging out or doing whatever it is we want to do. In some ways my life is a technical version of my grandparent’s – they never watched television, rarely purchased new and spent most of their time relaxing by a fireplace or rocking on the front porch.
That is my version of a minimalist paradise.
Hi Annie! Thanks for stopping by. I agree, the computer has taken over so many ‘older’ devices. There’s really no need for a tv, stereo or even books when you have one. And hey, if it’s helping you to simplify your life and save you time (just like the washing machine saved the 1950′s housewive a lot of their time!) it’s all good! But it gets dangerous when we see it as a goal on its own, being plugged in through an IV. To me, that’s just creepy. I’m one of those people that are gladly leaving behind the laptop when I’m on holiday with the family!
I must have missed everything because apparently I am not cool any more, being called a ‘minimalist’. :)
I do agree about the Amish. I think they live a very simple, enjoyable life.
What is a cyborg anyway? These are all foreign words to me. I am not attached to my smartphone (I don’t even own one) and I don’t go on the internet and tweet 24/7.
Guess I better brush up on my minimalist propaganda.
Serena, you’re so 2010! (Just as I am, apparently…) You’re only a cyborg when you have a permanent connection to the net and tweet everything you used to say in real life. Or something like that ;)
+1 for the Amish.. they don’t worry about all of these things!
You both are cool! You both, and Leo Babauta and several others, are still the people who express what I think minimalism is supposed to be. The problem is, or at least this is what it seems to me, is that they make minimalism out to be something more than it is and to be something like an “evolutionary step.”
I don’t agree with the cyborgs. Minimalism is a philosophy and a way of life and, at least in my opinion, it is not something that should be used as a stepping stone to a false “evolutionary line.” Evolution happens within, not by connecting to a computer or phone 24/7.
Thank you both for treating minimalism the way it should be treated, and for helping me to carefully adapt it into my college-student life!
I’m glad you liked reading this, Stephen :)
I try my best to keep minimalism (and the trend around is that is apparently ‘the big thing’) to a certain level of integrity.
I’m about pursuing the lifestyle, not selling e-books to a wondering crowd.I think the cartoon on youtube someone posted a couple of days ago (called ‘the minimalist’) was spot-on.
Amish too I guess – I really don’t dig this whole cyborg thing, and the minimalism-is-dead thing actually sounds like it was meant to be provocative more than else. If this was Everett’s intent, it just did the trick…
Haha.. I’m thinking we’ll see the Amish population doubling in the coming year ;)
Saluti dall’ Olanda!
Visited your webblog through Google. You know I am signing up to your feed.
I think of minimalism as a verb, an action and a challenge to keep on my toes and reflect on what is important for me. Admittedly, it felt like Wired in 1995 all over again when I read Everett Bogue; the “information wants to free and we will all be cyborgs”, Sherry Turkle talking about avatars – it was kinda cool for a while back then.
I don’t care if it is in or out striving towards minimalism. For me it is a challenge on a personal level. It all started with reading the book by Karen Kingston, Clear your clutter. It was an eye-opener. Ten years later, my eyes are still open. :-)
Thanks for stopping by, Jax! To be honest, I don’t know the movie you mentioned. To me, the whole cyborg thing sounds a little like the Matrix. (And I’ll take the red pill, please!)
But you’re absolutely right in minimalism being a verb, rather than a destination. That’s very well put!
Thanks, Jurino!
When I was referring to Wired, I meant the magazine (it’s about new technology and gadgets). I still remember reading it for the first time, it was the original mindbender for me. So yeah, back then it was the Matrix in paper-form.
*lol* That just shows how easily I could blend in with the Amish.. not even knowing that Wired is a magazine ;)
[...] Cyborgs and Amish – “I will tell you right now once and for all: becoming someone who is continuously plugged in to the internet, relying on this system as their ‘mental arms and legs’ to me sounds like hell on earth. I’m a minimalist alright, but I long for a simple life. A quiet life. A small impact on this planet. And while I may not be tied to one physical location ‘because my stuff keeps me here’, I actually find joy in living in one place for an extended amount of time, being a part of a local community and enjoying real life, twitterless, face-to-face relationships.” [...]
There appear to be two camps when it comes to minimalism.
There’s the first group, who writes about selling everything to quit their job, chase their dreams, travel the world, start their own business, live life on their own terms, etc. I never cared for this message. I felt like they targeted mostly disgruntled twenty-somethings (rather than families of all ages), were exceedingly harsh towards normal jobs, and obsessed about enjoying their own lives (without much thought of others’).
So I don’t actually follow any minimalist bloggers. I spend more time following the second camp, which is made up of a motley group of back-to-the-land farmers and homesteaders. Here, the emphasis isn’t about traveling round-the-world, it’s about self-sufficiency, strengthening families, and building local community. Usually, we end up unplugging more from the digital world to slow down life instead of accelerate it. I’m not in a huge rush to coalesce into part of an inescapable, ubiquitous global network anytime soon. I’ve actually been thinking about raising chickens and dairy goats when I return to America.
The verdict is…. you’re Amish, Aaron! hahaha.
Just kidding, of course.
Raising chickens and goats is a lot of fun! My grandma used to have them both (in the Caribbean) and we loved playing with the animals as kids. Where we live, it’s impossible to have them (chickens would make too much noise for the neighbours and goats.. well.. goats need space.) but we’re fortunate to get our eggs from someone who does keep chickens at home. And they just taste 300 times better than any store bought!
I just thought I’d let you know I’m enjoying your blog and subscribing. As for this topic, I get stuck in the middle. I have always had an enormous respect for the Amish — both for their ability to live simply and for their intentionality and faith. On the other hand I live in a separate city from my sister and extended family and a continent away from my parents. I rely on the internet heavily to stay in touch with them. I love the compactness of computers. Now I can take 10 books on my holiday (and for me, it’s not a vacation if I can’t read and write) without taking up half of my backpack. Perhaps it seems a bit odd, but I love to take my ebooks and sit in the woods and read. I’ve lost nothing in the experience since I’ve transitioned from book to ebook (although I respect those who don’t feel that way). I’ve even invested in a solar cell for my camping supplies so that I can charge my books and music while “away from the world.” And that’s how I look at it. I’m disconnected from the insistence and urgency of the modern world (my job, my friends and their status updates and tweets, etc) and free to enjoy a slow day with my camera, books, husband and dog. In my mind here the key is whether you are using technology to your own ends (simplifying, connecting, enhancing your life) or if technology is “using you” and dictating your life (complicating, multiplying, and fragmenting your life).
I’m with you on that. I love my e-reader! It takes up the space (and weight!) of only half a book, yet I’m able to carry 20 at a time. But don’t be fooled, the Amish can be high-tech from time to time. They do have things like fridges and modernized farm-equipment, only diesel-powered. The philosophy is that they don’t want to be dependent on a ‘grid’, which you get by using electricity. (Your solar panel sounds like the perfect solution when it comes to this!)
That said, they seem to know very well when technology suits THEM instead of being suited TO technology. They seem to own their stuff.. in our world we sometimes seem to be owned by it ;)
[...] Cyborgs and Amish – “I will tell you right now once and for all: becoming someone who is continuously plugged in to the internet, relying on this system as their ‘mental arms and legs’ to me sounds like hell on earth. I’m a minimalist alright, but I long for a simple life. A quiet life. A small impact on this planet. And while I may not be tied to one physical location ‘because my stuff keeps me here’, I actually find joy in living in one place for an extended amount of time, being a part of a local community and enjoying real life, twitterless, face-to-face relationships.” [...]
From what I’ve seen, your blog entry is the best, most rational response to Mr Bogue’s claims.
For me as well, being a cyborg sounds like it would be hellish. It puts me in a bad mood when I spend any length of time communicating only via the internet or text messages, but if I have a face-to-face interaction with someone (even if it’s the old lady complaining about the weather on the way to work this morning) it immediately makes me feel better.
Hi Jurino- new to your site, but really appreciate your thoughts.
I have been living a very pared down life way before I even knew there was
a term for having no stuff :).
I appreciate this post because it seems many ‘minimalist’ bloggers are talking about traveling, making their living online, and constantly being somewhere else.
l already feel I am online too much, and would rather be in one place I really like, enjoying valuable relationships, and a fulfilling life in some sort of community.
I have yet to figure out what this would look like, because having nothing equals a pretty empty house (and i dont really want a house!), but I also want to have a place where people are who matter to me. My profession is a musician, so I’m not sure how to keep that in there, while being off grid, not in a city, etc. How to bring these elements together has been a constant question.
Thanks so much for your different style on this topic of actually being in one place and enjoying life and your peeps :)
I do trust all of the concepts you have introduced in your post. They are really convincing and will definitely work. Still, the posts are too brief for starters. Could you please extend them a little from subsequent time? Thanks for the post.
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