Journey To The Center

     I'm  a 'minimalist'.  I don't like to have many things that don't immediately serve a need.  I have empty spaces on my shelves because I like to see empty space.  In short, as far as possessions are concerned I live by a 'less is more' philosophy, and I find I feel more in control because of it.  But  I have recently decided to take the concept a bit further and apply it to my very being.

       I researched the idea of minimalism a bit to find some sort of definition and also to make sure I wasn't stepping on any toes.   Is there an actual group out there who view people like me as minimalist posers in the way communists or vegans view outsiders who try to live up to the label but are just seen as fence-sitters and shouldn't be grouped with the diehards at all?  I didn't know!   So I did what we all do when faced with our deepest, soul-defining questions; I googled it.

     I found a bunch of blogs on how to live simply.   I learned that Minimalism is a trendy style aesthetic.  I got distracted when I learned that I can't spell 'aesthetic' without dictionary.com.  I got back on course and hit the jackpot.

Wikipedia: Minimalism describes movements in various forms of art and design, especially visual art and music, where the work is set out to expose the essence or identity of a subject through eliminating all non-essential forms, features or concepts.

     This is the definition I liked the best, so it won my attention and efforts.  And in honor of my favorite author, Jules Verne, I've decided to view this undertaking as an expedition.

   Leaving daylight behind, I'll follow the winding walls down through the Earth's (oops, I mean, my own) many layers.  I'll approach paths blocked by 'ideas I'd been taught that I later discovered to be false'.   I'll have to blast them into rubble and sweep them aside like rocks from a cave-in, eliminating them from my path.
      I'll find cobwebs of regret taking up an extra foot of space all along the sides of the already precariously narrow ledge-like walkway of my identity.  I'll have to clear them out in order to take another step forward.  Each cleared step will offer surer footing upon which to steady myself.
      My ears will begin to ring from the constant din of public opinion, the screeching pitch of pressures from colleagues and peers and the low bass of voices from the past, all of which reverberate against the background of my thoughts.  I'll have to locate the sound system and tear it down.   Speaker by speaker for possibly miles ahead of me will have to be torn from their mounts that have been firmly secured to the rocky walls.
     My goal is to make it to the core.  There I can rest in the knowledge that I have taken control.   There I will find the parts of me that are most worthy of cultivation.  There I can sit alone with a clearer understanding of in whom I should place my trust, who I need to let walk away, and from whom I myself need to depart.  

 '...expose the essence or identity of a subject through eliminating all non-essential ...'

     'Journey To The Center',  November's challenge at   www.inspiringchallenges.blogspot.com is inspired by this definition.

What?  You didn't think I came up with this idea just for myself, did you?!
Check it out for some valuable introspection.

It's the undertaking of a lifetime, and it may just last that long, but I assure you that you won't regret a minute of working toward a 'less is more' approach toward yourself.