In an earlier article (this article), I mentioned the relationship between logic, ways of life, and ways of thinking. A single way of life can correspond to one hundred ways of thinking. A single logic can correspond to one hundred ways of life.
I created a new concept based on them: minimalism in thinking. Today, I will introduce it.
How to make our lives simpler and easier
Sometimes, we want to make our lives simpler and easier.
Confusion in our lives makes things complicated. Imagine the situation: we live in a messy room. We don’t know what is where. For example, if we want to have breakfast, we don’t know where the food or cooking utensils are. We don’t remember where our smartphones are. We have to clean the room but also work, eat, sleep, and wash clothes. Oh, we might have to go to the dentist, but where is my wallet? I hate this kind of life!
Surely, we will want to cry in confusion. A cluttered state of affairs hinders our thinking.
Minimalism is one way to solve it. We reduce many unnecessary things and substitute them for several universal items. Although it causes us inconvenience, it makes our lives simpler and easier.
Why the ways of thinking don’t work
Still, there are times when our lives don’t get better. We cannot reduce our stressful jobs or solve a mental complex.
This is because there is also a messy place: in our minds. We believe that ways of thinking improve our lives, so we have learned a lot. If we can use them efficiently, our lives should get better.
However, there is a problem: there are countless ways of thinking. The more we learn them, the more our minds become cluttered with trivial know-how. A typical example is reading only websites with titles like ‘100 Tips for Happiness.’
In other words, we already know numerous ways of thinking or mental techniques. It means that something is fundamentally wrong with that style.
It is the same as the previously mentioned messy room. We live in chaotic rooms that are called minds. We don’t know what technique works well on the current problem. That makes us want to cry in confusion.
To solve this problem, I suggest a new concept: minimalism in thinking. In this style, we reduce trivial ways of thinking and increase logic or ways of life that substitute for them. This might help you clarify and improve your life.
What is minimalism in thinking?
Minimalism in thinking is the same as minimalism. It just turned things into ways of thinking.
In this style, we reduce many trivial ways of thinking and substitute them for several universal logics or ways of life. Although it requires logical thinking, it makes our lives simpler and easier.
Thinking means problem-solving. When we think, we use tools as follows:
- (The simplest) Logic
- Ways of life
- Ways of thinking
- (The more specific) Other specific techniques
Pros and cons
They have pros and cons.
The higher the level (the simpler side), the more versatile it is, but it lacks specificity.
It means we can clear the room in our minds with the sacrifice of convenience.
However, there is also a big issue: the higher the level, the harder it is to discover. It is especially difficult to find logic in abstract things, such as happiness or lifestyle. In other words, logic is the most precious tool to think, but it is hard to obtain.
On the other hand, the lower level (the specific side) it is, the easier we can apply, but it lacks versatility. They are easy to find. An example is ‘100 Tips for Happiness,’ as said above. However, it is prone to confusion, like a messy mental room.
An example of cooking
They are the same as cooking. If we learn specific recipes, we can cook immediately without failure. However, it lacks flexibility. We cannot make anything other than the recipes if we don’t have logical sense. Even without the main ingredients, the recipe becomes unusable.
On the other hand, if we find cooking logic, we can cook various things, even with limited ingredients. Even without pasta, we can make it from wheat. Even without an oven, we can cook delicious lasagna with only a frying pan. However, finding the logic requires time and experience.
Although it is not easy and convenient compared to referring to recipes, logic has power. A single way of life can substitute for one hundred ways of thinking. A single logic can substitute for one hundred ways of life.
Two approaches to think
In other words, there are two approaches to thinking, as follows:
- Minimalism in thinking: We solve problems based on logic or ways of life. This style suits the people who live independently and judge based on their logical sense. This style makes it easier to solve unknown problems. We have to neither learn a lot nor remember the solution. We create and apply logic based on our trials and errors.
- Maximalism in thinking: We solve problems based on the amount of specific knowledge. This style suits people who depend on society and provide value for society. This style makes it easier to continue to solve the same problems. We don’t have to think logically. We learn a lot of solutions that have already been found and remember them.
The style to carve our own paths
Those two approaches tell us that the more unique individuality we have, the more minimalism in thinking would suit us. We don’t know how to be happy with our individuality. There is no precedent. We cannot live the same way as our surroundings. That means we have to face the problem for which solutions have not yet been found.
This style gives us a certain kind of comfort. We don’t care about failure because it gives us experience that develops our logic. In addition, we don’t fear the changes of circumstances because we can rely on our logic.
In other words, minimalism in thinking is a style for people who try to carve their own path.
Conceptualization makes it easier to be aware of it. Although there might be similar concepts, I don’t know them, so I suggest this concept: minimalism in thinking.
The pluralistic problem-solving method I created (this article) is logic that allows us to solve problems flexibly. It alone could free us from countless confusing ways of thinking.
Conclusion
That is the new concept that I suggest: minimalism in thinking.
In this style, we reduce trivial ways of thinking and increase logic or ways of life that substitute for them.
This concept might help you clarify and improve your life.
Thank you for reading this article. I hope to see you in the next one.
