Understanding our Impact
Last January, Netflix released the series Tidying Up With Marie Kondo, a reality show in which the host, Ms. Kondo, visits American households and advises the residents on de-cluttering. The show loosely follows the format of Kondo's book, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up. The show is generally well received and her book is a best-seller in Europe and Japan. Kondo's book is not about minimalism, and she states in her book that
minimalism is not her goal, but the themes are similar. Though some readers have interpreted her writing as in favor of minimal ownership, I argue that her goal is not to help the reader own as little as possible, but to introduce the reader to some specific elements of eastern philosophy (Martin). In particular, the success of Kondo's media has, under the lens of consumerism, introduced some select Shinto and Buddhist practices to the western mainstream, such as animism, meditation, and mindfulness.
Animism is the belief that objects have spiritual essence. In the context of Kondo's book, that essence is tied to yourself, so when you discard an object with care, that essence comes to the other belongings you own. Kondo says the desire of your belongings is to be useful, so it's inconsiderate of you to own things but never use them, because they are unable to help you (Dilloway). Therefore, you should donate and recycle the things you do not use.
Meditation is the practice of being without sensory stimulation, to help reduce mental noise. Before you begin tidying, Kondo recommends sitting or standing in silence and listening to your home and belongings (Dilloway). Your home probably does not make much noise, so this is a way of calming down and contemplating the things you own. By becoming calm, Kondo says, you can think about your belongings more practically. You're less likely to be influenced by advertising or marketing, so you can be more in tune with how you feel about your things.
Mindfulness is the state of being conscious of yourself and your surroundings. In Buddhism, this is closely linked to the practice of meditation, and some western audiences have dubbed the practice as "mindfulness meditation" (Ryckert). When you de-clutter, you can more easily see the things you own, so you can be more appreciative and aware of your home. This means that, when you see consumerism, you're more knowledgeable of what you like to own, so you can be better about buying and wasting.
Today, fast fashion and services like Amazon make it very easy to conveniently buy things at a historically reasonable price. This makes it very easy to fall prey to advertising and marketing, and very quickly accrue things that you don't need or want. Kondo's books and TV have grown in popularity out of the desire to control what you own in the face of consumerism. In doing so, she has helped bring relevant elements of Buddhism and Shintoism into western homes, so that people can be more conscious of what they own and why.
Dilloway , Margaret. “What White, Western Audiences Don't Understand About Marie Kondo's 'Tidying Up'.” HuffPost, HuffPost, 22 Jan. 2019, www.huffpost.com/entry/marie-kondo-white-western-audineces_n_5c47859be4b025aa26bde77c?ncid=fcbklnkushpmg00000063&utm_campaign=hp_fb_pages&ir=Entertainment&utm_medium=facebook&utm_source=main_fb&fbclid=IwAR2ciRyNXffvoi8vHG5BxdhFz_PtM-eEAzeIfoHzR9xheN8bmuEabpce9JE.
Animism is the belief that objects have spiritual essence. In the context of Kondo's book, that essence is tied to yourself, so when you discard an object with care, that essence comes to the other belongings you own. Kondo says the desire of your belongings is to be useful, so it's inconsiderate of you to own things but never use them, because they are unable to help you (Dilloway). Therefore, you should donate and recycle the things you do not use.
Meditation is the practice of being without sensory stimulation, to help reduce mental noise. Before you begin tidying, Kondo recommends sitting or standing in silence and listening to your home and belongings (Dilloway). Your home probably does not make much noise, so this is a way of calming down and contemplating the things you own. By becoming calm, Kondo says, you can think about your belongings more practically. You're less likely to be influenced by advertising or marketing, so you can be more in tune with how you feel about your things.
Mindfulness is the state of being conscious of yourself and your surroundings. In Buddhism, this is closely linked to the practice of meditation, and some western audiences have dubbed the practice as "mindfulness meditation" (Ryckert). When you de-clutter, you can more easily see the things you own, so you can be more appreciative and aware of your home. This means that, when you see consumerism, you're more knowledgeable of what you like to own, so you can be better about buying and wasting.
Today, fast fashion and services like Amazon make it very easy to conveniently buy things at a historically reasonable price. This makes it very easy to fall prey to advertising and marketing, and very quickly accrue things that you don't need or want. Kondo's books and TV have grown in popularity out of the desire to control what you own in the face of consumerism. In doing so, she has helped bring relevant elements of Buddhism and Shintoism into western homes, so that people can be more conscious of what they own and why.
Dilloway , Margaret. “What White, Western Audiences Don't Understand About Marie Kondo's 'Tidying Up'.” HuffPost, HuffPost, 22 Jan. 2019, www.huffpost.com/entry/marie-kondo-white-western-audineces_n_5c47859be4b025aa26bde77c?ncid=fcbklnkushpmg00000063&utm_campaign=hp_fb_pages&ir=Entertainment&utm_medium=facebook&utm_source=main_fb&fbclid=IwAR2ciRyNXffvoi8vHG5BxdhFz_PtM-eEAzeIfoHzR9xheN8bmuEabpce9JE.
Kondo, Marie. The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying up: the Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing. Ten Speed Press, 2014.
Martin, Hannah. “A Maximalist's Response to Marie Kondo's Minimalist Mandate.” Architectural Digest, Architectural Digest, 29 Jan. 2019, www.architecturaldigest.com/story/maximalist-response-marie-kondo-minimalist-mandate.
Ryckert, Dan. Anxiety as an Ally: How I Turned a Worried Mind into My Best Friend. Up to Something Publishing, 2015.
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