One fact that I struggle with as I pursue a simpler life with less consumerism is the fact that my wife and I are small business owners. We make a living off other people spending their money in our retail clothing and sports store yet my personal train of thought right now is to shed our lives of “stuff” and save money and invest ourselves in experiences. Our success is based on society keeping on with the way it is and advertising and the consumer culture growing. With my strong belief in a simple life system based on Karma I worry that by keeping on the path Im on is lending itself into some weird twist of fate that our business will drop because Im not feeding the “system” . I know it’s silly but on one hand I love my mission of minimalism or a form of frugality and on the other hand I hope others don’t adopt this way of thinking. How’s that for a dilemma for you 🙂 I of course will just keep on my daily life of positive mindful ways trying to make the circle around me a better place and this quick little post was just to put my thoughts out there. As usual it is what it is and the future will unfold as it chooses.
Wow this is a great dilemma. My case is pretty similar. I live aboard an old small boat pursuing frugality and self-sufficiency but then I make my living working for rich people aboard their superyacht, with enormous budgets and absurd money wasting. Can’t really help, if you find a solution please let me know 😉
I struggle with similar moral dilemmas when it comes to morality and ethics and investing money. Can’t say that I’ve come to an answer, but I’m still searching 🙂
Chris, can you perhaps shift your business to providing experiences – tours, for example – instead of selling products? That said, it is a fact that no everyone in the world will embrace minimalism quickly enough to crater GDP; it would be a slow adjustment and we’d all survive. A long way to go, and in the meantime we can have the best of both worlds and retire early!
Wonderful point indeed, it is my biggest internal struggle as my view on the world and life has changed. I struggle to change my impact on the world around us and live a more meaningful life but yet have a terrific business we started many years ago that in a way is the opposite spectrum on consumerism. Part of our long term plan is to transition the company to another owner.