Advice | A Little Minimalism Goes a Long Way
As an American, I realized that I’ve brought a lot excess baggage with me to Korea, which I now realize I never needed. Space is a premium here! Never before in my life had I known how much my stuff had been crowding me in, suffocating my soul, and draining my inner peace.
I’d been drowning in a Hammacher Schlemmer kind of life when I really wanted to be living in a simple, clean iPod kind of life, like the guru himself, Steve Jobs, did in 1982. And all of the junk I owned really didn’t help me to accomplish any of what I really wanted to do. It had to go.
I don’t think downsizing my life is a drastic move. I consider it a sign of maturity, of growing up by shedding the non-essential possessions (or distractions). I realize it’s no longer the things I have that make me comfortable in my own home. What makes me comfortable are the things that are revealed clearly to me once all diversions are purposefully eliminated.
Right now, I’m trying out aspects of a Minimalist Lifestyle. Let me describe some of the ways I’m bringing peace into my home-life while perhaps contributing to my environment’s well being:
1. I banished the TV. It amazes me how the increasing size of flat panel televisions are at odds with the small spaces we live in. Officetels on the whole are not getting any larger, so why would be try to take away from our floor and wallspace with massive, electricity devouring devices? I can’t emphasize that if you are a procrastinator or easily distracted, the television will be your greatest menace.
Is this the Seoul adventure you sought? Surely not. Ridding the television will open up your apartment, give you and your visitors more time and ability to talk, and overall, provide you with the time and quiet to get things done. In time you will wonder how you ever had the time to watch television.
2. I am throwing away stuff I don’t use. It amazes me how much paperwork, receipts, “tourist junk,” and other scrap I find myself collecting on my floors and in corners of my Officetel. It amazes me how much
stuff I brought from the U.S. thinking I would use but never have. I can’t believe how my fashion sense has been uplifted to new shades of cool black that I no longer need five college sweatshirts. It’s time I grew up and gave this stuff to the Salvation Army (yes, there is one in Korea), to a local Korean church (they are everywhere), or even an organization called Beautiful Store, a charity that sells your stuff and serves the poor.
3. I am eating ascetically. One of the things I noticed about my eating habits after learning about how Bhuddists and ascetic monks lived was the benefits of a simple diet. Imagine for a moment the amount of resources and energy that are used and expended in the preparation, delivery, purchase, cooking, and consumption of a bacon-and-egg breakfast. Think about the water used to clean the dishes, the effort used to throw the trash out, and the place where it all goes. And the low nutritional benefits such a breakfast provides (in the long term). Compare that to eating an apple and perhaps a mug of hot miso soup, and then you may realize, there is great peace and simplicity to the latter. Plus a lot less dishwashing!
4. I am mindful of Feng shui – (In Chinese, Wind and Water). The ancient art of orientation and balance. 
Feng shui books can be found in Kyobo book, or on Amazon if you’re so inclined to order them. I’m learning that our indoor environment should contain ample sunlight, water, plantlife, and other aspects of outdoor life in order connect us with nature and the earthly elements of life. It was funny how a friend of mine described my bare Officetel once as like an empty fishtank. Nowadays I would say my Officetel looks like a botanical garden with living plants, some fish, and mainly the books and laptop that drive my passions.
–Max Chung is moving forward with his life and doesn’t need to purchase a thing
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