It is much easier to live minimally in a society that has these features individualism, adequate amenities, and practicality.

By now, I have lived in quite a different major islands and cities of Indonesia. In my observations, the most challenging place to live minimally is in East Java, Jakarta, and Yogyakarta. Bali is included in my top 4 places that makes it hard to live minimally. These places have commonalities such as high mobility and social density and the strong desire for status signaling which makes living as minimalist challenging and harder to sustain.

Currently, I have experienced living in Jayapura and notice that it is easier to live minimalistically and mindfully over here than those places I had experience living in. There are many factors and even cultural factors that support that even a personal anecdote. This is mostly personal but I have never felt this easy to live my life as a true minimalist with a few things to my name and everything I have is on my bag.

“You shouldn’t rely on your environment”

The thing is there’s something called affordances which coined by American psychologist JJ Gibson. The idea is that basically what our environment offers to us. His concept while used in UX/UI design can be applicable in the topic that I am discussing today. It can be applied as based on that theory, certain environment basically makes it easier for us to behave a certain way and more naturally than not. So, it is much easier to exercise our beliefs in a place where the ecological and even the society as whole supports it.

When I was living in Yogyakarta where back in the day was seen as an affordable place to live and the epitome of slow living dreams for many Indonesians, has become quite unaffordable and even grew bigger with more modern amenities and distractions. I experienced this progression and seen that it was not sustainable to live there anymore even as a minimalist.

Typically, it is really challenging to live in Java and around with a very minimal mindset. There are many indirect influences everyday from ads on the street and as far as eyes can see. Many also don’t really talk about the expensive cost of living in suburban tier areas of java, but the truth is, there is a hidden cultural cost that one must pay either with money or with their sanity. I am saying paying with sanity because if we didn’t join any gathering or even pay some contributions, we’ll be the talks of town and seen as someone who disrupt the harmony of the place.

I have talked extensively about the challenges living with hoarders and people with different lifestyle and values particularly minimalism. One thing I noticed that now I am living in Jayapura is that how minimal I’ve been living and survived just fine. Based on my observations, everyone around here is also living minimally and more practical. I don’t live in a fancy neighbourhood; this is a lower to middle class area where people own less item but practical. They don’t really crowd their home with unnecessary item that they didn’t need. Hypothetically from what I seen, lower to middle class people tend to have hoarder mindset and the just in case. But it was not something I am seeing around here. I could be wrong though but whenever I entered their home, it looks clean and according to economic survey I did, some of them lived without any consumer debt. How rich!

People here would wear brand name items, but you wouldn’t tell unless you know. They don’t dress over the top but practical. They work 6 days a week and Sunday is their rest day. Some even open their stores from 1PM to 10 PM only in contrast to Java where things open quite early.
Perhaps I am also seeing it from rose coloured glassed as many of the people are also migrants. They have their own home and family away from this island. Over here, they work, make money, live and enjoy their life. Even the natives that I observed and met also followed the same practical and minimal lifestyle.

I do not see too many ads on the street and there are also limited choices on where to shop. They have just enough modern amenities that won’t overwhelm you and your wallet. Obviously, this place isn’t perfect, and I am a mere outsider happen to live here. But I am enjoying my time to be who I am, being a minimalist without having to force it.

What is really freeing is that I don’t have to constantly fight to justify my practical ways or living or my minimalist lifestyle to people around here. My life around here is also balanced except that sometimes I am drowning with work or revision. But this is the price to pay for me to be able to have this stress free live that doesn’t revolve around consumptions or consumerism.

Living here made me realize that it is really our modern society that adds layers of challenges to one’s pursuit living as a minimalist. The effort that it needs to exercise the lifestyle is a lot harder in modern society and cities than in places where the environment is already geared towards practicality and minimalism by default.

One more thing I learned is that I am sure there are many cities around the world that is also like Jayapura. I just haven’t unlocked it yet and hopefully; I’ll get the chance to.

Reference Affordance