There are some great values I stand for- minimalism, simplicity, mindfulness, kindness, among a few others. If you are a regular reader, you might already be aware of it. A few weeks back, a close friend suggested that because I talk openly about minimalism, it is likely to make me vulnerable as opposed to being tight lipped about it. For example, she meant to refer to instances like people taking a swipe at me for using a MacBook Air. How can someone who calls himself a minimalist use a fancy laptop? The answer to that is here. Not to mention numerous times when something has slipped my mind and they’ve reminded me of how I should be ‘mindful’ about it!
Although I do agree that becoming vocal about your values comes at a certain price, I like to look at the bright side. Firstly, anyone reading my writings is exposed to these set of values and might positively be influenced to incorporate them in their lives (only today I was asked about minimalism from someone who wanted to try living minimally). Secondly, there may be so many people (and there have been a few who’ve written to me) who’ve been living as minimalists, but didn’t exactly know the term before they came across my essays. Now they do know the exact value they stand for. On top of that, my writings perhaps can give them courage to carry on, and feel a sense of belonging to a familiar tribe (since consumerists will always outnumber minimalists in this consumption driven world). Thirdly and most importantly, openly expressing my values on a public space makes me more accountable toward myself. This website is for my own reflection of my experiences and learnings rather than anything else.
So the next time someone takes a swipe at me for my apparent failure to live up to my values, I’ll take it as a reminder that I’m by no means perfect and how there’s still a long way to go. And hopefully, I’ll be able to positively influence a few others along the way.
The Mindful Nepali 
Leave a Reply