Minimalism in Turkey: Living with Less | Al Jazeera World Documentary 

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I think if one looks back to how the older generations of our families lived, you can get all the insight into simple living, sustainable living or minimalism. Keeping a monthly budget, buying things using a list, buying fresh and organic food, enjoying the simple pleasures of life, moderation in all things, owning fewer clothes and possessions (right sizing - no need to deprive yourself), spending time in nature are all the right things to do live a good simple and sensible life! This is true wheter you are Turkish or Indian or American or Chinese.

Absolutely wonderful video! I have been pursuing minimalism for decades - I was originally inspired by a book called 'Voluntary Simplicity' by Duane Elgin. Since then countless books (and films) have been published on the subject along with Marie Kondo's input. My favorite book is 'Goodbye Things' by Fumio Sasaki. This lifestyle goes back to the beginning of time - the stoics were also promoting simple living, Gandhi and others. If we are going to survive as a species, we have no choice but return to a simpler lifestyle. Mass consumerism is a form of collective insanity (mass formation), destroying us and destroying the planet. Opting for a plant based diet without processed food, daily exercise, fresh air and sunshine are the answers to a happy, peaceful life. Getting rid of household chemicals and unnecessary hygiene products is also important. I so loved watching this and seeing the transformations made as well as being introduced to many other people in Turkey who are proponents of this. Absolutely fantastic documentary!!

No matter how many clothes, household items, makeup, shoes and other items I have given away in the last 10 years I still had too much; I ended up donating my art work, golf and sport equipment and emptied half of my garage to the local donation centre, I still have way too much and after moving to a smaller home, my garage is full again, and one extra large storage room full. The amount of things accumulated in under 40 years of life, I really want to leave it all behind in this western country and move. Luckily for me I have this chance with an empty flat in Turkiye my husband and I bought a couple of years ago (using my husband account I am a woman) to start a new chapter of our life. I’ve been having difficulties between buying everything I think I need (want) or only what I truly need. This is a really good documentary, my other concerns were products and avoiding chemicals, my goal is to live a more sustainable and organic life style and balance it with a modern life. This documentary did a really good job in contrasting the differences in an extreme to moderate life changes into minimalism.

Watching this post earthquake gives me renewed hope. With all the media coverage concerning the earthquake, it is easy to fall into the trap of looking at Turkish people as victims, which is an injustice to the beautiful spirit, resilience and love that the Turkish people embody. ❤

I'm a minimalist and I'm happy and satisfied

Thank you for these beautiful and thought provoking videos! When the gentleman mentioned how consumerism eventually consumes our human values, I believe the world is experiencing that now… It’s beautiful watching Sedat and his wife communicate and compromise on these issues. They convey that you don’t have to go to extremes one way or the other, it’s all about balance and most importantly, not consuming more than you need. If only a great majority of people and our governments could watch and learn! Quality programming like this certainly can help and it goes to show that even if you don’t have enough money to travel internationally, you can choose to watch educational videos that open your mind to other cultures and points of view…

This is , for me, the best documentary on minimalism that I have watched. Thank you, Al Jazeera.

Last time when I moved I had possessions filling a 5 ton truck and I am just a one person. Almost 2 months ago I started downsizing and I got rid of a lot of useless items. It feels great to see my place almost empty and I will probably downsize a bit more down to most basic needs. Rural living is not for me since I was born and raised in a big city and I work in a big city. I now realize and repeat this daily that, "I brought nothing into this world and when I pass I will take nothing with me."

You can lead a simple life wherever you live if you control your lifestyle and if you know the importance of your hard earned money .

I'm distracted how beautiful Istanbul is

Everyone should see this, we should avoid unnecessary expenses, all these expenses are imposed on us so that the companies/brands can make profit

Allah says, "What is life of this world except enjoyment of delusion "

These guys have a point, without a doubt. But we can all live in the confines of a city and effect changes so that we are not consumed by our desires to buy and get more.

I am very inclined to rural condominiums, and I think we should make them the most frequent reality among our large distances in Brazil.

hippies had in some things the right idea, and if you look at the recet earthquake you could make a small house that was pretty earthquake proof . A Caravan wouldn't drop tons of concreate on you in a earthquake you could make something like a caravan but better insulated pretty cheap . A lot of people are looking at minimalism

great doc, but I would love to see more organised examples of simple living like communes. Individualistic anti-consumerism choices are limited, what can be achieved when there a collective witch organises around simple living?

I'm so happy I made productive decisions about my finances that changed my life forever,hoping to retire next year... Investment should always be on any creative man's heart for success in life.

Superb documentary! Blessings to you all for supporting these topics!

25:09 clever girl says," I wear all these" haha

No matter how much one earns, there will always be an scheming businessman who will try to: 1. Search who has the money 2. Investigate the person's lifestyle 3. Offer a product/service that will entice him to part with his money The offering may be way beyond the needs of the person. Watches, for example, are for keeping the time. But cheap watches can provide that function as much as luxury ones.

Solar and wind power can assist in not losing modern appliances such as washing machines, etc. A tool that is essential for womens home tasks, unless the men want to take on that task themselves. 😀

Great documentary, guess i would reach my life's goal if all my possesion is less than a size of a backpack😃. Then i can wander freely in the Hall of God, sky-roofed ....

thank you

Impressive to be able to plan finances with inflation up to 100% per year!

פשוט מדהים - תודה רבה!

Human in the most pure form of living should not consume everything farmed and agricultured, but in practical how is that possible? Today you can only find that for example food closet to purest form is fruit/vegetable/herb. It's amazing forest can survive in the most purest form with only air, water, sun, and soil.

37:47 aşı olmuyorum diyor ama altyazıda geçmiyor nedense 😂

Tame the impulsive monkey in you, now you are a human.

The reality is Sedat wants to get far away from his wife😂😂😂

mashallah

I think 🤔 people mix different subjects under one topic creating a bit confusion… Happiness is not associated to material possession if was rich 🤑 people would not suffer from depression and other emotional issues… More for sake of more is a mental disease and the USA 🇺🇸 they have a show about this Hoarder… Material objects should serve a purpose if they serve that you probably are OK Example: A tractor 🚜 for a farmer 👨‍🌾 has a purpose when be used for a city dueler not so much… If you have two feet 👣 having shoes for different occasion and purpose can be acceptable if those occasions and purpose are real, but normally if you have more than 5 pairs chances are we are walking toward hoarding and maybe not so healthy…

You break the cycle of needless spending by saving and investing your hard earned money for say, your child's future. You dont have to waste all of your money.

It's disappointing to see a 45 minute video like this talking about consumerism, consumers and that they consume, etc, without going into the root causes. It's like talking about poverty and poor people, how poor people have no money, how they live, etc, without talking about WHY and in what CONTEXT they are poor. The root cause (in this case, in many of our societies) is the capitalistic system, which wants/needs the wheels of production to be kept turning constantly to keep the dividends flowing to the investors and the ruling class. There is indeed enough STUFF (tables, chairs, clothes, etc) to go around, and if most of our products were not made according to PLANNED OBSOLESCENCE, there would be enough for everybody and no need to be constantly replacing broken down products, no need to be working 40 hours a week. An "intelligent" or natural being (in the wild, for instance) hunts or gathers food and then rests. Modern humans can't afford that "luxury" of resting and not consuming needlessly because it's not in the interest of capitalist society to reduce consumption and waste. That is the radical (root cause) aspect of the problem that this video glaringly omits. Maybe because if they mentioned it, it would be seen as "subversive" thought, as anti-social, "communist" blah, blah, of course, "attacking" the basic, fundamental system (calling for a "revolution") is seen as too "dangerous." But simply simplying and reducing one's consumption (or giving some food to the poor for temporary consumption) are "cosmetic" solutions. The real problem is more fundamental, so a more radical solution/change is necessary. Change the production system (build more cooperatives instead of the oligarchic profit maximizing system) AND consume less. Both aspects have to be addressed.

what if your children need a doctor and you have to pay for it

Purchasing power is so low in Turkey, people repackage their poverty under the name of minimalism. Madlad blames consumption as his problem but works as a social media specialist. Get a real job. Solution to your problem is production, not consumption

You’ll own nothing and be happy.

Want to really cut your consumption? ...forget the wife and child.

Shopping malls have taken over as the Churches and Mosques of our age. It makes total sense to reverse this trend and it begins with us as individuals.

Consumption is an ADDICTION. Like any addiction it has no limits. It feeds on itself. The search for the thrill of something new as soon as you unwrap the last purchase.

If you want to live a life with little stress, live a simple life. Life gets simplified. But don't live a life with simple (foolish) mind. Think and act upon good thoughts.

I am planning to move out of the city's materialistic life. The affluence has really made us spiritually poor and ethically corrupt. Consumerism continues to suck us and destroy the ecosystem. Going back to simple living is answer to all the man-made problems

Nice to see that I am not the only one who want to live simple and healthy but also need some comfort. Thank you for this docu and lots of love from the Netherlands.

“Some people are so poor, all they have is money” - possibly Bob Marley

I love this concept and think we need to go back to simple living, less materialistic ways. I’m sure people all over the world feel like life is moving too fast.

🧕🏼🤲🏼Abu Umamah reported: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “Verily, simple living is part of faith, simple living is part of faith.” Source: Sunan Abī Dāwūd 4161🕌🧕🏼🤲🏼

what the world needs is a simple living movement that rejects all modern digital & electrical tech

Fantastic video I’d like to connect with the shop making his own toothpaste etc I’m on this journey of minimalism but I’m struggling with letting go of some stuff thank you for sharing this video hopefully as a westerner I can learn from Turkish friends on improving this life

I understand,but what about us who were born with less i.e. poor,surely I can't continue living with less when god has made it possible for me to have more

Interesting, simplicity and essentials only

"The things that you own always seem to end up owning you" - Mr B Pitt, Multi Millionaire

So much Paper is used for Advertising and Packaging, the amount spent on it is added to the True Cost of an Item. Besides the Adverts shoved into People's Letter Boxes. This Waste must be stopped.

In india a person buying a car with a loan is high status begging for petrol money from friends and a person riding a cycle is poor 🤣🤣🤣🤣, look at the garbage Indian society how it thinks

I don't want to be doing so much less.. The economy, politic need to be fixed somehow !

What Islam tought thousand years ago is ever relevent.

...inspirational... ☕🍲🥧🌿... and not easy to do, learn...but once done, and very possible, the Soul can be as it is meant to be, so thank you... and, sorry for your" loss. Sarrah. 🙏

Bravo, tebrikler

This documentary is just very timely, thank you! We really don't need much.

اعلمو انمل حیات الد نیا لعب ولھووزینت وتفا خر بینکم watakasur فی الاموال والاولاد ۔

It is genuinely nice to see that in my city, there are people searching, and creating better ways to live. I live a simple life. I am a city person, and wherever I have lived, I have managed to keep it simple and minimal. Since I came to Istanbul I have been overwhelmed by the capacity of over consumerism of people, and the way they manage credit cards. The first rule of a simple life is cut your credit cards and stop working to pay the debts you create by consuming things you do not need. 20 years ago, when I arrived here, I was seeing as a weird being without credit cards, without television, without much stuff. Today I feel proud to see that the movement has grown in Turkey. We can have a good, nourishing life in the city, without falling into the trap of consumerism.

I watched years before this documentary, and to day I searched for my friend to watch it.

believe me, this is a very good concept for simple living we should try Minimalism in this way i know this is hard but we should take one step!

Cant stand the materialism in this world. All that packaging, plastics and unnecessary waste. Our earth will sort us out. Love this idea. I live on lease land in a tiny house in NZ. I have a garden, son and son in law in house nearby. Chooks for eggs. Hoping the incessant rain does not ruin garden again. Lucky I love chayote

Walden Lake .Henry David Thoreau's novel best.

While Turks become poorer every year its not a choice for middle-class to consume less. Only rent can be just enough for average middle income. 😢

With that Lira drop they're going to have to minimalise the **it out of their lives.

You can tell the wife wants to spend spend spend!!!

People bother a lot..but in life u need very little..

Minimalism or Poverty?

Video sonunda arkadaşın aldığı tüm kararlara katılıyorum sadece organik olmayan hiç bir şeyi almıyoruz derken marketten neredeyse tamamı horman ile hızlıca büyütülmüş meyve sebze aldığı kısma katılmıyorum. Maalesef marketten aldığımız meyve sebzenin büyük çoğunluğu hormon ile hızlıca büyütülüyor.

harika, bu kadar samimi bir belgesel , hayran kaldim tum o youtube ffenomenlerine kiyasla

consumer or contributor... what's your role in life?

25:20 😂😂

It's quite strange to see people struggling with this idea of simple living. I travelled around for 10 years with a backpack that contained all my belongings (socks, underwear, etc). The biggest luxury in that backpack was a shortwave radio... After a while it gets second nature. Good that people wake up to this idea, because we will all NEED to live with a little less! People that don't wake up to this idea will be the complainers, living from government handouts (that will obviously never be enough). Maybe we should also have a minimalist life-style when it comes to making children...

Epicurus was born close to Turkey. One of the many Great philosophers with Beautiful answers to the dilemmas raised here. This program is almost identical to Alain Botton's Epicurus episode he aired in the year 2000

I believe minimalism is a terrific goal achievable by a few but will never grow large scale support due to the trappings of marketing. The world now operates on the basis of excessive consumerism and economies cannot survive without it.

The whole objective of living in big cities is the bee hive effect to produce more, which eventually results consume more. It goes as long as you keep sustainable the life standart. And you believe, money buy happiness. Trying to live simple in cities is like try to meditate in a night club.

Fazla düşünmeye gerek yok bence, asgeri ücret alanlar ve onu dahi alamayanlar yani büyük çoğunluk açlık sınırını geçemediği için zorunlu olarak minimalizmi benimsemiş durumda..Tabii birde zenginlerin daha fazla yiyebilmesi için ekstra desteklenen bir bölümüde var minimalizmin...

seem that her wife arent into this as much as the man did, so please dont push her, respect her decision,.. walao eh,..

I,Agree, Sadat is on the right track, thoroughly sustainable ❤🎉

I'm 35 if I follow my grandparents they were alive around the 1930's and I mean he lived a long life 95 years and always stayed within his means grandma was with Parkinson's disease

Thank you for your Documentary video _) very nice _)

Those are a few people that got out of their small circle.

Poor lifestyle is very easy..make more independent..

Look at them after a year so radiant I learned alot thankyou

Get more more more then what ?

Lagom. Just enough.

"Slummin' in Paradise"

it is not look real

Moving to turkiye

A really useful Documentary.👍👍👍👍👍👍

teach pakistan

Al Jazeera you have invited the wrong person.

❤️❤️❤️🇧🇩🇧🇩🇧🇩🇧🇩❤️❤️❤️

2:50 Why is there fruit in the bathroom?

Sedat says people should spend less on things they dont need and consume less. what does he do for work? his a social media expert. he gets payid to teach people about fb and insta. hahaha one of the biggest waste of time money and recourses of human kind

I 💚ed ALL🤚🏾thanks very much Al Jazeera English 🤚🏾