The Habit of Thinking

Apr. 6, 2011 with 69 notes

Reblogged from vivekhaldar

Vivek Haldar: Minimalism is not a viable intellectual strategy

There is a wave sweeping through the Internet cognoscenti – minimalism. The juggernaut of technology has brought us to a place where our minds are forced to march to the un-human rhythms of the global machine, our brains sizzling with pellets and factoids, with nary a clean break for a clear…

As much as I support different perspectives I think Vivek is missing the point. Most people get so caught up in stuff that they never actually do anything. They have so many projects on the go that most of them are sitting at step 3 or 4 (out of 100). For most people there is real value in pushing away all of the distractions in front of you (e.g., reality TV) and focus on the things that are truly important. Once you’ve found your “art” then you can be as messy as you need to be to take it to the next level. Even minimalists need to realize that you have to get your hands, pants, walls, office, etc. dirty if you want to master your art. If your not willing to put in the time then you’re focused on the wrong art.