Is There A Perfect Minimalist?
I have gotten into this discussion a few times and discovering the truth has made me switch sides between what I always supported and opposed when I was ignorant. It's hard to be a perfect minimalist and I always told people that despite me trying to cut costs a lot of times on different things, I still have my shortcomings as a minimalist. It's easy for anyone to argue that their minimalist lifestyle is perfect and many of us wouldn't see our flaws as a minimalist until they are pointed out to us.
I was one of those who thought he was cutting costs on everything he was doing until a friend pointed out to me that I was wasting too much money on streaming football which is true but I wasn't seeing it as a waste because of the pleasure I derive from watching football. Just like it was for me then, a lot of people do not see some things as an issue just because of the pleasure they derive from it. They assume it's right and just go about doing that thing until someone try to make them see the truth; while some make amendment, some people stick to their guns.
The fact about life remains that every human has the right to live the way they wish as long as they aren't hurting anyone or breaking rules and that's one of the reasons I had to back off from trying to encourage my friend to start preparing his meal instead eating out most times. He is a minimalist with a lot of things but not with food and every effort to make him see how much he wastes on food has been futile.
He approached me at work back then and introduced me to a thrift he wanted to begin. I joined and it was a success because we all used the money for something very important so we became friends. He is intelligent and smart and I admire him a lot.
We have done a lot of things together and the only thing I find annoying about him is the habit of eating out. In a nutshell, he is lazy with cooking. I have tasted his meal before and it was great but he just doesn't want to cook and it takes a lot from him every day. I find it a terrible way to live but he always told me that as long as he is working and has money to purchase the food, there is no issue with that.
Some time last year, he was admitted to the hospital for a few days, he never revealed why to me but I eventually found out that it was because of food poisoning which I always warned him about. He couldn't say specifically where he ate the bad food because he ate in two different places before he started having that uncomfortable feeling in his belly but the experience didn't stop him from eating out as usual.
Exactly a week ago, I went to Computer Village to fix a phone and on my way back, I decided to check up on him since we hadn't seen each other in a long time. He came to pick me up at the bus stop and drove to a local restaurant in his neighbourhood.
"You haven't stopped this after what happened to you?" I asked and he just laughed.
He told me not to worry and that I should order whatever I wanted there. Being the type that buys raw food, I know what the cost of things are in the market so instead of just ordering for the food, I asked for the price of their stuffs one after the other.
A Kilogram of Titus fish is about $2.4 but these people sold a quarter of a kilo for $1, and they sold a scoop of rice for $0.3 and those prices were outrageous to me but not to him because he barely cooked and doesn't know the price of these things. I made sure I got the price of everything and started analyzing it with my friend just to make him see how much he was wasting but it all fell on dead ears.
I have pictures of my food on my phone so I started showing him just to compare it with the price of what he was spending but he is just too addicted and didn't see any issue with it.
We have talked about these things in the past but nothing has changed so pushing further after a little advice isn't an option for me because I believe he will get married one day and that habit will be a thing of the past except he finds a woman who behaves like him.
His eating habits have nothing to do with our relationship because beyond that, he is a great guy. Just like he has his flaws despite being a minimalist, I have mine as well. It is hard to be 100% minimalist even though there are people who have succeeded in embracing the lifestyle completely.
It's not my style to judge people and why would I even do that when I am not perfect either? I believe that with time, something or someone will make him realise the truth about his eating habits and hopefully, he will turn a new leaf.
All image belong to me except stated otherwise.
If you think about it, eating outside is not so bad when you can afford it. If it doesn't cause a dent in your pocket then why not. I mean that's one of the reasons why we make money right? so we can spend it doing the things we love.
Lol. I'm on your friend's side because I also can cook but don't like cooking. If I could have my way, I would eat out all the time and cook only when the spirit leads, which is rarely😅.
I love the pictures though, they're so clear and clean. And the food is calling my name😅.
I'll like to suggest that if you really want to change your friend's mind about it, then use another approach entirely, since clearly this one didn't work.
Nice work and thanks for sharing!
Thanks for your candid response and honestly, what I feel like it's bad could be good for another person and a lot of things influence the decisions we make.
If we have the money, there is really nothing preventing us from enjoying life to the fullest. I am cool making my meals though whenever I am broke or not.
I admire and respect that. I wish I could cook everyday as well.
Perfection is a word for measurement and I think nobody can which the level of perfection in any case. As minimalist I also think all of us has some flaws which may hidden from our eyes but some other people may notice it. Just like your friend saw the flaws of you but for you it's giving you pleasure and it's ok for you. At the same time I think taking food from outside also give your friend a satisfaction and like you it's ok even if it cost a little bit more. So nobody is perfect but we can try to control those habit to reach near perfection.
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We are no where perfection as humans and we can only try but can't be perfect. Every minimalist have their imperfections and I am glad you can relate very well to my points.
Thanks for the support buddy, happy Sunday.
You are right, no one is perfect as there are so things we do that might not look like we are wasting resources until it's been pointed out.
I agree with you on the aspect of cooking at home because sometimes you don't even know the manner in which some of these local restaurant prepare their meals.
Some people will say "what you don't know won't kill you" but I counteract that by saying " keep feigning ignorance till it actually kills you".
Those meals looks appetizing by the way. Well Done.