By Nur Hakimah Nabihah binti Harun
Sustainability. A topic that has been gaining traction recently. The decline in the consumption of fossil fuels is evidence that the concept of sustainability is becoming increasingly popular. Nonetheless, sustainability is not exclusive to the energy industry. In many spheres of life, sustainability has become a trend. In fact, it has become a way of life for some.
Minimalism has swiftly gained popularity as a style of life that offers several advantages to its adherents. It is a way of living that encourages individuals to reevaluate the importance of material possessions. We can all make place for the most essential things of life by clearing the way of unnecessary obstacles which are health, relationships, passion, progress, and contribution.
Why minimalism?
Some people mentioned that minimalism is just a personal choice how people find their own happiness in life. But, if we look at the bigger picture, minimalism is more than that. The way a person is living can help the future world. Even it is a small change, it can give a big impact when people start to realise the importance of it.
Minimalism is about simplicity, practicality, and elegance. It is about avoiding the unneeded. In terms of embracing the maxim “LESS IS MORE,” it is all about making the most of fewer things. The most widespread myth is that minimalists “suffer” and “sacrifice” despite possessing fewer possessions and engaging in fewer activities. In actuality, it is just the contrary. True minimalists require just a few well-chosen goods, which they maximise, so improving and not restricting their experience. Quite simply, quality trumps quantity.
It focused on the things that are just needed only to realise that the world is much bigger than they could imagine. It is because when minimalist spending less on the unnecessary things, actually there are more other things that they may overlook when they were not minimalist such as travelling around the world, can spend the excess money to the needy people and more. Minimalists are focused and direct about their aims and intentions, and they strive to provide for people for whom they care.
How important is sustainable living?
When we look at the phrase “sustainability,” we probably believe it entails implementing a number of radical adjustments to safeguard the environment. We might have heard or read alarming stories about the problems arising from severity of the climate change and felt prompted to act.
Simply said, “sustainable” means to support and maintain, and without getting too technical, there are two reasons why we should embrace this mindset:
- Everything is interconnected, everything we do will affect people and the planet
- Resources should be valued and managed with care since they are limited.
Regardless of whether we are considering only ourselves, our neighbourhood, or the entire globe, our actions have consequences that we should be aware of.
The more we understand these cause-and-effect links, the greater we appreciate and respect for them, and the more likely we will be to make decisions with good outcomes.
Similarly, our approach for sustainable living emphasises taking little but substantial actions in three areas; personal, which are to nurture our family and us, contribute to the local community and protect our globe – to live more consciously.
How to sustain ourselves with a sustainable lifestyle
- Do exercising: Exercising can vary between individuals because the quantity of exercise a person needs depends on several factors. People can just walk 30 minutes, bike, do some light exercises, or jog to keep the body active and physically healthy.
- Eat healthy: We need foods to survive but we must look back at the foods we consumed good for us. What we can do is cut processed foods, instead we can consume a plant-based diet which contains veggies, fruits, and whole grains. We can also reduce meat intake to ease the digestion system in the body.
- Spend wisely: Our wants more than our needs. We need to realise that happiness comes when we feel enough with what we have. It means that we do not need to spend lavishly to feel good. Less is more.
In the hadith it is mentioned: ” The best thing is the simple ” (Reported by Ahmad).
From the above hadith, we know that Islam is easy, and simplicity in any kind of thing is better than doing thing too excessively. ***
(Nur Hakimah Nabihah is a student in Department of Business Administration, Kulliyyah of Economic and Management Sciences (KENMS). The article is part of ‘Responsible Consumerism’ course. The views expressed here are those of the writer/author and do not necessarily represent the views of IIUMToday,)