Did Everett Bogue Kill Minimalism?

Everett Bogue, the mind behind the blog Far Beyond The Stars and the author of the ebook "The Art of Being Minimalist" has now officially declared the Minimalism movement to be over.

His reasoning for the death of Minimalism: Everett officially left the building. In his official announcement he states: "Minimalism was cool for awhile. Now, it's simply the echo of a revolution that once was." He has even created a new blog address for his declaration, but as the address is not designed for polite readers I will not post it in this article.

The blogosphere has been watching Everett's increasing egomania for some time; backlash posts to his extremely unpractical brand of minimalism abound. Here is one by The Minimalist Packrat that sums up the majority of the backlash sentiment.

As a person who uses Minimalism as a practical tool that enables me to be a stay-at-home mother I was personally disturbed by the direction his blog was taking and posted a list of reasons why extreme minimalism was not practical. You can find that page here. I have also pointed out that despite the fact that I possess a LOT less than most and have used my minimalist attitude to pursue the life of my dreams that I did not qualify as a minimalist if one had to follow a set of ready-made extreme minimalist rules.

Like many others who have simplified their lives and used their experiences to help others, I did not become a Minimalist because Everett Bogue made it popular. I was decluttering and eliminating things from my life for years before Everett Bogue came onto the scene and I will still be fine-tuning my lifestyle long after his dust settles into the distance.

In Everett's defense, the form of extreme minimalism that he practiced was simply not sustainable over a long period of time. One cannot happily function with no real way to cook food and clean house even if we disregard the other things that he sacrificed. In essence, by trying to burn the brightest, he burned himself out.

True minimalism is NOT about throwing all of your stuff away; it is about creating boundaries on your stuff so that you control your things without letting them control you. It is about limiting or eliminating the things that aren't as important to you so that you can free time and resources for what is meaningful.

For some like Chris Guillenbeau that means eliminating your excess and visiting every country in the world. For others like Tammy Strobel that means eliminating debt and pursuing dreams of freedom.

Personally it enables me to work entirely from home; to be a stay-at-home mother without having to sell my body and soul to some guy in exchange for financial support. It has enabled me to have the time to share my minimalist cleaning tips and other experiences with the world at large without having to worry where the money is coming from to pay the latest electric bill.

By living with less Minimalism has allowed me to be more.

I must confess that I admire Everett Bogue even now; he had the courage to burn high and bright in the sky like a beacon for those overwhelmed with their stuff. I am saddened that he burned out so soon; I can imagine he is on a spending spree now like a starving dieter who spies a donut, and I don't blame him one single bit!

While he leaves the building and declares Minimalism dead I will still be here with my minimalist business, writing books, crafting articles, updating my blog and playing with my kid. I will still be culling down my stuff until it finally reaches a level where I can happily say "enough!"

Like myself there will still be others like Meg and Steve who are striving to find that right balance and we will still be chatting with Serena, Francine, Joshua and others who have the strength to carry on without the influence of Everett's charisma.

So readers, do not fear that Minimalism is dead now that Everett has left the scene in a huff. Minimalism was here way before he was born and will continue on now that he is gone. If you are interested in visiting some excellent Minimalist resources check out the links in this article or visit the blogroll I keep on my home page for inspiration and resources to help you on your journey to minimalist freedom.