When remembering who led me to minimalism I can not fail to mention my parents, although in some publications I have mentioned that they like ornaments on the walls and on the fridge, minimalism has many edges and I consider that one of the most important is the attitude we adopt to the scenarios that can steal our joy if we allow it. It is this important side of minimalism that my parents had a positive influence on my life.
Throughout my childhood my dad spent a lot of time teaching me to be content with the things that were present. I am witness to the hard work my dad put in to provide for our household and I think being the oldest of four siblings I could see his selflessness a little more closely. I remember that on TV they would show advertisements of very nice but expensive toys and when we were kids we would immediately say we wanted one of those, my mom would say: "I don't understand why they show those advertisements if they know that most families can't afford to buy one of those toys for their children". I heard that when I was about seven years old and those words aroused in me a lot of curiosity.
My curiosity was so great that from that moment on I began to see the sad consequences caused by the inequalities and vanity that exist in the world. Of course, at that time I did not understand the concept as such, but I could see that the toys my parents could buy us were not the ones shown on television and that my cousins did not even have toys. Of course, this generated a lot of concern in me even though I was a child and my dad patiently taught me that the most important thing was to be happy with what we could have and that gratitude helped the heart a lot.
My foundation in minimalism was undoubtedly my parents and the trigger was being around exhibitionist people who lived overwhelmed by silly competitions with neighbors. After getting over a strong depression I understood that the most valuable thing for me is inner peace, whether it is little, much or nothing material that I have at any given moment, my peace is priceless and I do not intend to sell it even if I am offered the most exorbitant price that exists.
Over time I realized that the peace I value so much increases when I am connected with nature, so I do not miss the opportunity to nourish my soul with every goodness it provides me. I love to be in the nakedness of nature, whenever I can I travel to small villages whose inhabitants live happily, satisfied with the fruits of their labor and away from the harmful toxins of materialism. I continue on my minimalist journey and there is no turning back. I will always walk in this beautiful journey.
All photos are my own, taken with a Realme 7i.
