I'm in agreement with most of the anti-consumerism argument. And having spent my adult life living in tiny apartments in NYC and London and moving internationally a few times, I certainly understand how possessions can be a burden.<p>But still, whenever I read about "minimalism", and people bragging about how they can fit everything they own into a single carry on bag, I can't help think that these are really boring people. It just doesn't seem like a lifestyle that would make any sense for all but a small number of people that fit some very narrow conditions ("pure" knowledge worker, no pets or children, no interest in whole swaths of hobbies and activities).<p>Eg, I'm a professional software developer to pay the bills. RSI is a potential career ender for me, so I have an ergonomic setup a good chair, desk, monitors, keyboard and trackball. I can't just work on a macbook air in a cafe all the time without risking my livelihood. When I'm not working, I like to do oil painting (which requires an easel, paints, brushes, cleaning supplies, sketchbooks, etc.), I play and record music (so I've got a bass, a couple guitars, a couple amps, pedals, mics, etc), and I like hiking and camping (so backpack, tent, etc. etc.). My partner teaches electronics and builds hardware games and art installations, so our flat is full of soldering irons, heat guns, reflow stations, and stockpiles of components. She's also a musician so she has a small collection of synths and music gear of her own and she likes to do woodworking and build furniture (we don't have room for large power tools in our flat, so she has a membership at a maker space for that) and she likes gardening so we have a ton of plants.<p>When I think about all the most interesting, creative people that I know, none of them could do the "minimalism" thing either. They do things like arc welding, hardware reverse engineering, homebrewing and distilling, electroplating, restoring vintage motorcycles, sewing, 3d printing, quilting, farming, baking, cosplay, etc. All of which require having a bunch of stuff.<p>Minimalism is fine and if it works for you and your lifestyle, fine. But I really don't like how it always seems to come along with an implicit disdain for physicality and interests that aren't completely in line with that knowledge worker on a macbook on an empty desk aesthetic.