[MBTI General] Severe minimalism.

[Magic Poriferan]

People often tend to think of the drive to want too much as being an ugly part of human nature, unavoidable in the face of reality.
I think people are caught off-guard by how rarely it applies to me.

I've always eaten very little food.

I don't want gifts! I hate getting gifts 90% of the time. I probably won't use them, they'll take up space, and I feel like I'm obligated to use them, causing me much guilt.

I will turn down items considered highly desirable by others, just to have space in my room.

I don't drink, smoke, or use any other drugs. I don't even take pain killers unless I'm being really tortured.

I have encountered many, many people who are weirded-out by how little I want. I have to drink and smoke, I have to eat more, I can't pass on special sales...
When I moved out of my previous home into this one, my family members kept looking at my cargo and saying "you can take more you know?". I'd say "yeah, but I don't know if I really need that and...", at which point they'd suddenly command "take more!".

I say it's a sign of my combined MBTI and Enneagram type.
Has anyone else had the problem of being unacceptably minimalist, or am I alone on this one?

 

[Sandy]

Hmm... my INTP son (in the Air Force) came home and visited for 9-days just this month. He brought only the clothes on his back and his Gameboy DS and a few games. I was looking for a backpack or a carry-on... there was none. He knew I had his clothes and toiletries here, so he didn't feel the need to bring anything else. His needs are very simple. In fact, if it was up to him, he would wear the same clothes all week long.

In his small dorm, other than his computer and TV, he doesn't have a whole lot (uniforms, soap, deodorant)... nor does he need much. He would qualify as a minimalist. (My INTP boyfriend has tendencies like this, too).

 

[Athenian200]

It may interest you to know that I'm the other way around: I always take more than I need, because I'm always thinking I might need it. I'm a bit of pack rat, and try to hold on to everything from really old notes/lists to the original packaging of software products. I'm particularly partial to hording books, magazines, and cards.

 

[Sandy]

It may interest you to know that I'm the other way around: I always take more than I need, because I'm always thinking I might need it. I'm a bit of pack rat, and try to hold on to everything from really old notes/lists to the original packaging of software products. I'm particularly partial to hording books, magazines, and cards.

Saying that, my youngest son is ALSO a rat pack... but here at MY home! In his own digs, he has nothing. Here, he has a hard time throwing things out (but I have the same problem, but not to the degree that he does) and he has kept most everything since he was a kid. I tried to get him to take some of his "things" with him, but he doesn't want it. It's up to me to keep or get rid of his things, which really bugs me.

 

[prplchknz]

I don't know if I'm a minimalist or not. I don't want a lot of things, but once I have something I can't throw it out. I tend to really only buy what I absolutly need or will use. I can't eat alot but I don't like wasting food so I eat a lot of leftovers. I also get sick of the same food over and over again, can't see how any one can have such limited diets.

I am the same way about gifts. Which is why I don't tell people about my birthday, that and I hate being wished happy birthday by people I don't really hang out with.

Packing I never packed alot to go anywhere, of course have friends who pack three suitcases to go on a weekend trip, so I'm sure they'd be greatful for my minimalist packing if ever go on a road trip with me. My suitcase includes usually:
Tops (one for each day I'm their)
Sweatshirt/Sweater (2 in case I spill something)
1-2 pairs of jeans (depending on how long I'm gone)
PJs
Undies
Socks
Extra pair of shoes (incase something happens)
Swimsuit
Jacket
Rain coat
Make up (if I go out)
Nice Outfit (if I go out one night.)
Toiletries

I have maybe 5 friends and I don't want more. I have one really good one in Chicago and that's all I need.

 

[pocket lint]

Yes, sometimes people ask how I am easily satisfied with little, but I don't think I am to the point of being unacceptably minimalist for it to be a problem...yet.

Here's something I like to read to myself once in a while (I don't know who the author is... someone posted it on a minimalist forum I visited a year ago):

A child that throws a tantrum and goes into a severe crying fit when a toy is taken away is a perfect mirror of our own reality. I saw one do this on the bus ride home yesterday. The child was screaming and squealing "that's mine" in an agonizing state of complete misery. Tears and everything! Misery over what?!? A toy?! No. It is not just a toy. It's "MY" toy. It is a possession. An attachment. An extension of the image of ME. The moment I see something as mine, this thing, this inanimate object, this non-thing, is and becomes a part of who I think I am. This fascinates me!

It starts with MY toy, and later becomes: My car, My house, My friend, My lover, My land, My country. And for the spiritually inclined MY thoughts. The list of the many things we attach ourselves to, we define ourselves by, is endless. We instantly cling and claim ownership over most things we come in contact with. And when these things go away, change, or are taken away (as all things of this world are), we are blinded by misery and all kinds of upsets; the misery and upsets of loss. My loss. We are plagued by disappointment and a sense of unfairness. That belonged to ME. How can I LOSE this? It was MINE. We grieve for our loss.

Everything in this world is temporary. Some of us learn this early on with a loss of a pet, or family member, and some of us go through life losing one thing at a time without ever acknowledging that ALL things in this reality are temporary and fleeting. Family. Friendship. Partnership. Ownership. Situations and circumstances. The forms life takes. Everything changes. All things will pass. Yet we try and impose permanence on these things by calling them "my" or "mine" and convincing ourselves that this is true. It's totally backwards!

Living in a world bound by the laws of birth and death we have at least some peripheral understanding that everything that arises into our awareness (our life) whether it is people, situations, things (and thoughts), will die. It will dissolve. It will go away. Everything of this world has a shelf-life, an expiration date, regardless of our attachment to it. There is no choice in the matter.

Where there is choice is in our recognition and acceptance of this law.

It doesn't mean you live in misery and anxiousness over the possible losses that are to come. Don't go locking yourself up for fear of the inevitable. In fact if you are unhappy it means you are still attached and imposing your self (i.e. in the form of expectations) onto neutral, un-personalize-able things. You still have that "this belongs or should belong to me forever" mentality. Get rid of it.

Where in attachment we experience dysfunction and unhappiness, in detachment and non-identification we find the true joy of living. Experiencing things, people, and situations as they are WHILE they are, is the most freeing feeling you could ever experience, not only for you but for the other person/place/situation as well. Especially with people, freeing them of YOUR expectations and experiencing them as they are is the BEST feeling ever for everyone involved. There is no stress and no mess. When you abstain from imposing your identity onto all things, you can truly grasp the essence caged in the words "if you love something, set it free;" let it be as it is.

Detachment is not disinterest. It is interest without personal investment, the investment and imposition of "my" or "mine." Relinquishing such kind of illusory ownership is the most liberating feeling. When you can love a person, situation, or thing, as it exists without possessing and imposing your own structure on to it, you find the joy of...simply being.

Just BE and set your life FREE.

 

[JAVO]

I like that quote, pocket lint.

 

[cascadeco]

I'm not severely minimalist, as I definitely do like having some of my things, and I do appreciate aesthetics in my living spaces.

But I definitely don't buy a whole lot - at least compared to most people (and when I'm saying 'most' people, I'm thinking of many of my coworkers) - and I usually try to buy stuff that I feel I only truly NEED. Very little of my budget goes towards 'stuff' - and the only 'stuff' I tend to buy is clothing or books or cd's these days. Nothing else, really.

I'm starting to become rather averse to 'stuff.' I'm actually kind of annoyed that I have as much as I do, and when I moved to a new apartment in August I took great pleasure in bringing several bags-worth of stuff to the Salvation Army, and kept looking around to see how much more stuff I could get rid of.

Actually I'd say over half the 'stuff' that I own was given to me. I certainly haven't purchased most of the knick-knacky type stuff that I own; it was given to me by my mom or other relatives. My mom is a 'stuff'-queen (actually everyone in my mom's family is) -- she has SOOO many collectibles, etc - but not your craftsy stuff; more stuff like crystal, and expensive figurines, plates, lots of holiday decor...and she doesn't really understand my *attempting* to live a more clutter-free lifestyle - and I end up feeling guilty sometimes and might take stuff I don't really want, just because she'll make me feel bad otherwise and it's easier just to take it rather than have a whole discussion about it.

But yeah - I TRY to accumulate as little as possible!!

 

[substitute]

the OP could easily describe me, but there's another thing apart from natural tendency towards non-materialism that makes me like it: fairly acute claustrophobia. Clear those spaces, clear that clutter away, clear the gangway, open up the space!!

 

[fiona]

I have quite a bit of stuff, but it's all 'achievement' related, for example I have hundreds of books (I'm a writer and run a literary magazine), I'm an amateur potter so have all the stuff associated with that. I own my own house, so have an inevitable collection of furniture, but I don't think that quite counts.

What does seem to go to type is that for eg my armchairs are both about 50 years old, bought from cheap antique shops. They are good quality but ancient and need recovering. Instead of which I chuck blankets over them and periodically vacuum the leaking stuffing off the carpet. I know most people would be ashamed to have items like this in their living room, but they're OK to sit on, the rugs hide the worst bits, and most importantly if the cats scratch them or you spill coffee everywhere it doesn't matter.

I don't want stuff in my life that I have to constantly worry about being damaged. That goes for my car, too. Life's too short to get upset about things like that.

But I'm not sure it's typical INTJ.

 

[Pangolin]

I would say I both am and am not a minimalist.

I am a minimalist in the sense that I only really need clothes, media (books, cd's dvd's and associated hardware), computer, and craft supplies (crochet, knitting, weaving, drawing, architecture [my future profession]). This is a fairly finite category of kinds of things, but the individual components can add up. I'm a bit of a pack rat and used to be a lot worse, but am weaning myself of that habit and trying to only keep things that I need/use, and trying to use up/discard/give away extraneous stuff.

 

[Jae Rae]

I consider myself more of a minimalist than my INTP husband. But the comments about receiving gifts certainly relate to him - he dislikes holidays and birthday celebrations for himself, and one of the most awkward events I ever attended was the 30th birthday party I threw for him. He was quite uncomfortable being the center of attention, and his friends were mostly INTs who had nothing to say to anyone else at the party. Nearly 20 years later his friends are still very unique personalities who relate well to him but not to each other.

Far from minimalist, he has lots of books, cds, dvds, videotapess, computers, digital camera equipment (he's an NT all right) that I'm constantly trying to convince him to organize and/or reduce in quantity so the floors and other surfaces aren't cluttered with them.

I, on the other hand, have lots of books, but like to downsize periodically and only keep the ones I'm likely to use over and over again. I prefer to get books from the library; usually I have about 20 next to my bed at once. When I really like a library book I've read, then I look for a copy to buy.

We also have lots of magazines which I try to recycle, but my daughter wants to keep them. We could have a small lending library based just on the magazines that come into the house each month, but I prefer to read then recycle most of them. They stack up on the floor or on chairs or the tops of bookcases, but I'd prefer to have a few that we'll refer to often, rather than tons in tall piles we can't access.

As for clothing, teenage daughter has tons, husband, son and I have a few basics we wear often. I usually try to sort out anything I haven't worn recently, that's out of style, doesn't fit, etc. When in doubt, give it away.

This is a fairly new way of being for me, as I used to buy lots of books, decorative items, household goods, toys for the kids, collectibles and other objects, but now I really think about everything that comes into the house and if it's really needed.

As for the teenaged son, he moved away to college with all of his stuff in the back of a Subaru Forester, including a fair amount of kitchen items we provided. He's the most minimalist (also INTP) - has a few books and a few clothes at school. Everything he needs seems to be in his head and on his computer.

 

[Varelse]

Things I need. Laptop, xbox 360, DVD collection, books, games, drawing pencils, and paper.

I suppose I'm not particularly minimalistic, but I've never wanted too much...and there are plenty of things that I've been given that I don't use. I'm just too lazy to get rid of them, but wouldn't mourn their loss.

I'd miss my Myst notes more than half the stuff I've been given.

 

[gretch]

My husband is an INTP! And boy oh boy! is he a minimalist. WE've moved literally 14 times in the last 3 years of marriage and I see the way he eyes my beloved books. He tried to throw away my poetry journals from my finding myself year at college. Big no no!

 

[miked277]

People often tend to think of the drive to want too much as being an ugly part of human nature, unavoidable in the face of reality.
I think people are caught off-guard by how rarely it applies to me.

I've always eaten very little food.

I don't want gifts! I hate getting gifts 90% of the time. I probably won't use them, they'll take up space, and I feel like I'm obligated to use them, causing me much guilt.

I will turn down items considered highly desirable by others, just to have space in my room.

I don't drink, smoke, or use any other drugs. I don't even take pain killers unless I'm being really tortured.

I have encountered many, many people who are weirded-out by how little I want. I have to drink and smoke, I have to eat more, I can't pass on special sales...
When I moved out of my previous home into this one, my family members kept looking at my cargo and saying "you can take more you know?". I'd say "yeah, but I don't know if I really need that and...", at which point they'd suddenly command "take more!".

I say it's a sign of my combined MBTI and Enneagram type.
Has anyone else had the problem of being unacceptably minimalist, or am I alone on this one?

same for me... for most of this post. except for the food part.

 

[Randomnity]

I'm not really minimalist--aesthetics are important to me, and I enjoy some "stuff" hanging about...and I love food!--but I'm fairly simple in my tastes and probably more minimalist than a lot of people my age. And I hate getting gifts, especially when it's more "stuff" to sit around and look cluttered.

On the other hand if all my random stuff disappeared today, the only things I would miss are my laptop and mp3 player. And books.

 

[JonJT]

Supposedly, I too am an INTP. Every time I take the test, I get the same result. Although I do seem to have a stronger feeling side than most here (but not quite enough for the average population). I'm somewhat peculiar in what material possessions I choose to own. I own quite a few things, but all have something to do with my keen interest in computers, audio equipment, photography, cars and engineering. Nearly everything else I find expendable and I just throw out (with the exception of good clothes, everyone likes a well groomed, well dressed young man.)

 

[wildcat]

People often tend to think of the drive to want too much as being an ugly part of human nature, unavoidable in the face of reality.
I think people are caught off-guard by how rarely it applies to me.

I've always eaten very little food.

I don't want gifts! I hate getting gifts 90% of the time. I probably won't use them, they'll take up space, and I feel like I'm obligated to use them, causing me much guilt.

I will turn down items considered highly desirable by others, just to have space in my room.

I don't drink, smoke, or use any other drugs. I don't even take pain killers unless I'm being really tortured.

I have encountered many, many people who are weirded-out by how little I want. I have to drink and smoke, I have to eat more, I can't pass on special sales...
When I moved out of my previous home into this one, my family members kept looking at my cargo and saying "you can take more you know?". I'd say "yeah, but I don't know if I really need that and...", at which point they'd suddenly command "take more!".

I say it's a sign of my combined MBTI and Enneagram type.
Has anyone else had the problem of being unacceptably minimalist, or am I alone on this one?

I tip the Pope.

 

[EffEmDoubleyou]

I'm probably not a minimalist on the order of the OP, but I definitely have tendencies. I have asked family and friends that I don't want "things" for gifts, but consumables or experiences instead. I have a modestly furnished one bedroom apartment, and for the life of me I don't know how I would fill a house with enough to make it look lived in. I accumulate a certain number of things according to my interests; for instance I have a lot of kitchen gadgets and cookware, and I have a lot of CDs. But I like living a life free of too many things. It makes me feel lithe and adaptable.

 

[GZA]

I'm not that minimalistic, but I am unmaterialistic. I don't buy a whole lot, I generally don't ask for a whole lot... I don't smoke, drink, or do drugs. My parents tell me I'm very undeamnding, and sometimes insist on buying me things.