Jimmy Carter once said, “Human identity is no longer about what one does, but by what one owns.”

Minimalism, the ideology started by two men from Ohio, represents a life free from material goods. It teaches to live off what is necessary, in order to make room for what is most important in life. The typical minimalist will own only the basics: a chair, a dining table, some dishes, a couple shirts. They rid themselves of excess objects and material possessions many people seem to hold onto.

But why?

Because buying things is emotionally grueling and owning them is stressful.

Whenever there are new trends, Alex and Ani bracelets or puffy jackets, people go to the stores to buy them, but never stop and wonder why. It all boils down to the human quest for happiness. People assume that these things will make them happy and popular, but instead they are miserable, wondering why there is still a void inside of them. Minimalism teaches that consumer goods should never satisfy an emotional longing and that the only way to truly live a meaningful life is to treat them as exactly what they are: objects.

For teenagers in high school, it is extremely difficult to turn off the one object that gives them practically everything: breaking news, the weather, a chance to express themselves to the world through social media. Cell phones. Phones are bombarded with negative images, advertisements and photos of people leading “perfect” lives. They drive people to want to be better by buying the products they are told will make them happy, but actually distract from life’s potential.

Starting with a book called “Everything that Remains” to a documentary on Netflix called “Minimalism,” this movement continues to grow every day. There are dozens of challenges nationwide from Project 333, where people wear only 33 items for three months, to much more. This goes to show, living a life with less stuff is an easier and healthier alternative to the current norm.