Reading: “Goodbye Things: On minimalist living” by Fumio Sasaki

 

Being the ADHD fuzzybrain that I am, I stumbled upon the concept(s) of minimalism a while ago and roughly 846 hyperfixation sessions later, I’m loving the idea of decluttering for mental health and negative space — or, to describe it in non-minimalist jargon: empty space.

Being the postwar grandchild that I am, I’m used to ‘save’ stuff for bad days, to not throw away things one could, at least theoretically, still use, to always make sure that my cellar is well used. It’s what I learned growing up at my grandparent’s and even though I understand were they came from, I never really learned to reevaluate their belief. I internalized their urge to not throw away stuff because ‘it could be useful some day’ but also kept buying new things like we all do nowadays, resulting in A LOT of stuff, especially in my wardrobe and kitchen. As a result, I absolutely loved my first big decluttering back when Wonderguy and I moved into our new apartment. I felt such a relief, it was wonderful. Only much later did I find out that throwing out shit you don’t even remember owning is not just fun but also a sort of movement called “minimalism” that produces books, podcasts, and documentaries. It was like I entered a new world, and I’m still enjoying my time there…

 

Hello again, old friend

Now, Fumio Sasaki’s Goodbye Things book isn’t the first book I read about minimalism but it is the first Japanese book on the topic. Of course, I also read THE Marie Kondo’s The life-changing Magic of Tidying up, though I wouldn’t call Kondo a minimalist as she focuses on cleaning and decluttering for the sake of better organization (just my two cent). After reading Einfach Leben by the German author Lina Jachmann — I also wrote about this in German — and some other books that are mainly about decluttering, I came across Mr. Sasaki’s book. Living up to the principles of minimalism, I got the ebook and went ahead seeing what I could learn from the Japanese author.

One thing started bothering me from the beginning: Sasaki sometimes sounds quite patronizing, though I cannot say if this is an issue of the English translation or his general demeanor. Providing a good summary of the various aspects of minimalism and pointing out links between certain issues that contribute to a massive overconsumption — be it of material goods or media — and its psychological (and physical) consequences, the book speaks to newbies as well as those with some prior knowledge. However, it’s not that you haven’t heard any of this before if you are interested in the topic of minimalism and read some other books, too. So there’s no need to sound holier-than-thou.

 

The Apple Inc. of his eye

Another issue I had was Mr. Sasaki’s beatification of Apple Inc. and Steve Jobs. He obviously is a HUGE fan. Which is totally fine, I get it, and I too appreciate a lot of features that can make my life/work a lot easier. And yet I’m not sure if all this is reason enough to declare Steve Jobs and Apple as patron saints of Japanese minimalism like he does here:

“The American company Apple has an intriguing connection to the minimalist culture of Japan. Many minimalists are fond of Apple products and of Apple’s founder, Steve Jobs. The products that Jobs created always avoided excess. The iPhone only has one button, and you don’t have to worry about being stuck with a lot of extra wires and ports when you buy a Mac. […] And today, the ownership rate of the iPhone is particularly high in Japan, which means that through Steve Jobs, our minimalist culture has been imported right back to our country.”

While Jobs may be the key figure in Apple’s history in the public eye, he was not its sole founder, a fact that one should keep in mind even if you are hugely infatuated with the cult of Steve Jobs. Furthermore, I’m not sure if anyone needs their culture imported right back by an American (or any huge, exploitative, human rights abusing, and tax evading) company, especially not the Japanese, but that’s just on a side note. As stated before, I can understand why people love to work with iOS/Apple, yet for me this is less a question of minimalist design and more of functionality. I also appreciate a lot of features Linux provides for its users — it’s just less fancy than the newest iPhone.

 

The Philosophy of Minimalism

I said before that Sasaki covers some important basic issues. So let’s take a closer look at what I mean:

“But by getting rid of my things, I’ve finally started to break out of that situation. If you’re anything like I was—dissatisfied with your life, insecure, unhappy—try reducing your belongings. You’ll start to change.
Unhappiness isn’t just the result if genetics or past trauma or career trouble. I think that some of our unhappiness is simply due to the burden of all our things.”

So this is a heavy one since connecting material ‘wealth’ or our possessions with mental health issues may feel contradictory at first. Yet this is a lesson the Minimalists like to talk about as well: the less you own the more you have. More time, more independence, more money (maybe), more space… Other authors of the minimalist bubble, like Leo Babauta, Francine Jay, Cait Flanders, and Joshua Becker also write about how getting rid of stuff has improved their quality of life in so many more ways than just rediscovering their countertops. In that respect Fumio Sasaki is in good company and I appreciate rereading this advice, especially as it adds interesting insights to the aforementioned Western perspectives.

 

The Issue of constant connectivity

But Sasaki — and others — don’t just discuss materialism and consumerism in our modern world of never-ending growth and accumulation:

“First, there’s information and material overload. For better or worse, globalization has become a key part of our society. All we have to do is take a look at our smartphones to get the news from all corners of the globe. We can buy anything we want online, anywhere in the world. We can watch TV shows from any foreign country, not to mention listen to overseas radio shows.
[…]
I’ve heard somewhere that the amount of information that a person living in Japan receives in a single day is equivalent to what someone who lived during the Edo period received in a year, if not over the course of their entire life.”

Information overload is a difficult topic. For most of us, our professional and at times also personal life depends on  receiving a certain amount of information regularly. Be it emails, messages, social media content, or news. However, this can feel overwhelming and — especially for ADHD fuzzybrains like me — can lead to a degree of inaction that is harmful to our overall need for enjoying our life and work. As Sasaki further states:

“[…] We’re stuck filing up our old hardware with too much information and too many things. Our limited hard disk space is overloaded with unnecessary information. Our precious memory is consumed with how others see us, and it’s used mostly for chasing things and managing them. We turn to all sorts of entertainment for temporary relief. And eventually, even that becomes too overwhelming and we start to reach for the easiest and most mindless distractions like smartphone games, gossip, and alcohol.”

Technology outpaced our brains. We invented items that are not smarter than we are but also overwhelm us on various levels. Surely, there is the discussion if the technology itself — say Instagram, for example — is bad or if what we made out of it is the cause of all issues. I have no answer for this philosophical take on modern technology — though I would like to think it might be both — and can only speak from personal experience when telling you that I quit Facebook years ago and Twitter and Instagram might one day too be gone from my little corner of the world. Needless to say, this may also be an ADHD issue and neurotypical brains may be more resilient when it comes to dealing with the constant connectivity smartphone (apps) provide. Material and Mental overwhelm are two aspects Sasaki discusses more detailed, since those are important reasons people feel the need to explore the concept of minimalism at all.

Back to the book. Sasaki also focuses on the positive side of smartphone usage when concluding the following:

“The invention of the smartphone means we can carry around a cell phone, camera, TV, audio device, game console, watch, calendar, flashlight, map, or even notepad, all in one little rectangle. It’s also a compass, train timetable, dictionary, thick mail-order catalog, checkbook, or airline ticket. […] I think the invention of the smartphone pave the way for all the minimalists we see around us today. No matter how vigorously a minimalist may throw away their possessions, their smartphone is often one of the last items to go (if it goes at all), because it obviously serves to many different functions.”

Save to say, Sasaki appreciates the functionality of smartphone and the new opportunities this permanent accessibility gives us, like working when and wherever we want. Stating before that information overload could result in mental and intellectual overwhelm, this seems a bit contradictory. Yes, smartphone are a huge asset and they can make life a lot easier if you know how to use your phone. Even more so if you allow yourself to go offline, at least from time to time. At least for me, an offline weekend helps me recharge my batteries and calms my constant brain chatter. Fumio Sasaki seems unconcerned by these issues he stated just a few paragraphs before and decides to focus solely on the benefits of new technologies.

 

Practical Minimalism

The ebook starts with five ‘case studies’ in which he presents photographs from his own apartment, showing his development from maximalist to minimalist, as well as photographs from the living spaces of fellow Japanese minimalists whom he interviewed. These set the tone for the rest of the book and serve as a sort inspiration, albeit an ambitious one.

Apart from a personal and theoretical introduction and discussion, Sasaki adds 50 tips on how to start and accomplish one’s individual minimalist dreams. These are very interesting and also inspiring, not only for newbie but also for people who already know one thing or the other about minimalism and its various forms and interpretations. Naturally, not all may be practical for every single reader — let me show you what I mean:

“The things we say goodbye to are the things we’ll remember forever.” —> LOL…no. Not happening, ADHD fuzzybrain over here.

“If you lost it, would you buy it again?” —> No, I wouldn’t remember owning it in the first place.

“Discard any possessions that you can’t discuss with passion.” —> When was the last time you’ve discussed toilet paper, your vacuum cleaner, fridge, stove…“with passion”? Yeah, me neither. Still got them, though.

However, platitudes like “Fewer things does not mean less satisfaction”, “Find your own minimalism,” or “Discard the things you’ve already forgotten about” (LOL again,) felt so right and inspiring that I could hardly hold back from emptying out the cellar (because I forgot 90% of what’s in there).

 

Conclusion

Feeling like I’ve already read  much of what Sasaki is writing about — which is no wonder given that I’ve read several other books on the topic — I still liked the special way Sasaki connects the dots and also tells his own story, which makes some of his arguments and statements a lot more understandable. Also, I loved the insight I got the Japanese interpretation of minimalism, which is not that popular and well known in Europe (apart from Marie Kondo). The 50 tips Sasaki includes in his book make it a rather manifold compendium of ideas on how to live your personal interpretation of minimalism, and I really like that.

If you are new to the topic and want get a basic overview, you may want to give The Minimalists or Francine Jay’s “The Joy of Less” (also check out her blog missminimalist.com) a try. These sources might be more beginner-friendly Fumio Sasaki. However, if you are an aspiring minimalist wanting to gain new perspectives on the topic and looking for ideas on how to become a minimalist, Fumio Sasaki could be your man. Depending on how you like his (writing) style, he will be a great and inspiring teacher 🙂