1. View the TedTalk. Consider the speaker's tone, purpose, structure of the presentation, and your personal reaction.
3. Optional: Comment on a classmates post in a second post (minimum 3 sentences)
*Use only your first name, last initial and class period.
Although Americans have triple the space than fifty years ago, we still fund a $22,000,000,000 industry of personal storage. Buying more has led to increased credit card debt, a greater carbon footprint, and has not improved happiness levels. I believe that in many cases, less is indeed, more. We can benefit from having less, by saving money and the environment, and personalizing and editing our living space. We often don't realize, when were camping, traveling, or in college, the joys of having less. I agree with Graham Hill when he said that we could all think before we buy and edit the extraneous out of our lives. We should take more time to analyze the value of material items before we buy them, and realize that less stuff may mean more time and freedom.
ReplyDeleteAfter watching this short clip, I became much more aware of how wasteful Americans are, in general, in terms of money. According the clip, Americans have increased their space by three times over the last fifty years. This is an absurd amount seeing as though we are struggling economically, as a country. People are buying larger homes and things when they should be looking to downsize instead. Spending has led to debt and unhappiness in America thus far. So, why do we decide to continue to spend money on useless things when we can reduce our carbon footprint and become happier human beings?
ReplyDeleteJillian M. Period 1
Over the years Americans have increased the use of personal storage. We have three times the storage space than we did in the late 1900’s. Buying unnecessary things has led to increased debt and has had a bigger impact on the environment. After watching this clip, I have realized that America has become very dependent on materialistic items that have no use to us. We have become more wasteful and ignorant to the fact that our economy is failing. We keep buying things out of habit when we don’t necessarily need them. This is why having less is more, if we live more simply we would save much more money as a whole, strengthen the environment, and we would be happier. Living more simply would require people to get rid of things they don't want to. But, if it were changed we would be on the right track to helping ourselves and the economy. We should try to cut the unnecessary things out of our lives so we could live better as a whole.
ReplyDeleteAriana D. Period 1
I don't entirely agree with the perspective of Hill. While less can occasionally be "more", I feel that we have forgotten how much we depend on materialistic items. I don't necessary view the increase in our personal storage to be detrimental to the economy or the country. Sometimes it is good to have more of something, many people have multiple phones, TVs, computers, cars, etc and they all have some positive value. A good way to view this is the question, "Can Money Buy Happiness", and the answer to that question is yes, if spent in the right way.
ReplyDeleteTom. Period 1
While watching Hills lecture, "Less Stuff, More Happiness" I started to think about all the things I have spent my own money on and where they are now. I found most of my money goes to clothes, shoes and food. Which made me think, do I really need all of the "stuff" I purchase? No I do not need all of the clothes and shoes I own and I do not need to go out for a 20$ lunch when I can eat at home. Is spending my money on materialistic things saving money for the future? No, in fact if i did not buy any new clothes, shoes, or go out for lunch I could use all the money I make working during the summer and babysitting toward college, however I haven't. Do these materialistic things make me happy? Yes, although most of my purchases I could do without, I am happy I made them. I love my clothes, shoes and getting a nice sandwich from Hornets Nest once and a while. So, although I agree that less can be a more effective and an easier way to live, I personally rather spend my money on what makes me happy. All and all for some people less is more but I am not one of those people.
ReplyDeleteAbby A
Period; 5
I thought Hill's point of view was interesting to watch and made me reflect on a lot of things I do and buy that I can go without, but as I realize a lot of people here have already mentioned, I would rather spend money on what makes me happy, not size down to practically nothing and try to live off that. We're incredibly materialistic people, and while I try not to spend hastily, I occasionally do, and that's okay as long as it's not every week. I think the bigger issue is people don't understand how to save money for things like a mortgage or college education, that's what we need to teach Americans. And more importantly, think before you spend.
ReplyDeleteKylee D
Period 1
I agree with Kylee. Downsizing your life won't make you happy. She says, "I would rather spend money on what makes me happy, not size down to practically nothing and try to live off that." If you buy things that make you happy, you're making your overall life more enjoyable.
DeleteEmily H. Period 1
I really appreciated this Ted Talk and I liked the way Hill addressed the topics of materialism and wastefulness in a way that didn't feel entitled or attacking. He didn't preach that everyone should give up all of their material possessions to find happiness, nor that everyone should live in futuristic, space-saving apartments. He simply advised moderation and a more thoughtful approach to consumption. As a few other people have mentioned above, I like to spend money on fun things to do with my friends or on new clothes or books. These things make me happy and it's important, especially as a teenager, to get used to having and spending money. I did appreciate Hill's cautions, however. It's good to remember to be careful to spend your money on the things that will make you the happiest. I get a serious sense of guilt in buying things that I never wear or never use, and it's not that hard to avoid that feeling with a little mindfulness.
ReplyDeleteI personally feel like i can relate a lot to what Hill is saying, I have a lot of old clothes that i could get rid of or other little things that i don't need and this video really makes me assess all of those things and makes me think about cutting the ties with these items. Hill is 100% right when he say's if you cut the ties you'll feel better because of what cutting the ties does for you mentally. If you cut the ties then thats one less piece of clothing squeezed into your draw or one less time you have to walk around something and all of that starts to add up exponentially, which in return makes you happier exponentially. So, basically the idea of cutting down just a little bit might be small now but over time it will grow and make a huge impact for he better on the persons life that chooses to do this.
ReplyDeleteJake J 1st
I find Graham Hill’s “small is sexy” ideals very interesting. I too agree that having a cluttered life filled with unnecessary objects is better for our lives and our happiness. The point Hill makes largely reminds me of Thoreau in how he only stripped down to the essentials that he really needed. Even though Thoreau used a more head on method by living in the wilderness, their ideals are very similar. They both feel as though the things we have in life (that we don’t need) should be expelled from our lives, and I couldn't agree with that anymore.
ReplyDeleteAmericans have three times the space that we did fifty years ago. You would think that with all of this extra space there would be enough space to hold all of our stuff, but in fact, there is still not enough room. We have triple the space, but due to our shopping and buying levels, we are still in need of space. This continuous spending can only lead to credit card debt, a huge carbon footprint, and stressful lives. There needs to be a way to spend less, because in this case, less equals more. When you have less, you have more time to yourself, more freedom, and more money. If Americans start to cut the unnecessary items out of our lives, we might start to live in a better way.
ReplyDeleteEllie B. Period 5
While watching this video, I definitely found myself agreeing with Graham Hill. He points out that our society seems to share a belief that the more material items you buy, the happier you are. However, I know firsthand that this happiness is only temporary, and eventually all the stuff that you've accumulated will only add to your level of stress. There is definitely a truth to the "joys of less" that Hill mentioned, which come when you live with a smaller amount of material items. Maybe if everyone realized the validity of these joys of less and began to cut back on the amount of material goods that they buy, our society would be a happier place to live.
ReplyDeleteI can definitely agree with what Graham was saying. Thinking of humans everywhere, as a whole, not necessarily down-grading, but cleaning out, if you will, their lives will make such a huge difference in this world. He says, " I'm going to suggest that less stuff and less space are going to equal a smaller footprint. It's actually a great way to save you some money. And it's going to give you a little more ease in your life." I completely agree with this statement. Less is more. However, looking at the fact we are talking about humans, we can also say how much of a struggle that movement would actually be. No one wants to give up their possessions. We live in a materialistic world. At this point in our lives, I can confidently say this idea/ movement is a little far fetched for it to actually work effectively. While the idea is fantastic, the motivation for it to be implemented is lacking and more than likely, squelched by our desire for the materialistic things in our lives.
ReplyDeleteSkyler U. Period 1
I don't think "stuff" is the problem. I think the idea of needing "stuff" to be happy, working for "stuff" and waiting for "stuff" causes the anxiety, depression, and the general unhappiness that is discussed in this video. We briefly discussed this in class when answering the question " Where do we live and what do we live for". Someone mentioned that they feel as though they are simply getting through the day to get to the next day and to get to that one. Waiting, wanting and working for "Stuff" (This stuff being their goals like good grades) caused this person's unhappiness too. The idea of success and good grades does not make someone unhappy, the continual striving for it does.Instead of cutting things from out lives, or maximizing the stuff in our lives, we should find happiness in the ordinary and mundane things instead of striving for peak experiences.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with this Ted Talk. We try to fill our own "voids" with stuff. As American's, we almost try to cure ourselves with items and objects, convincing ourselves that the more we have, the more worthy we are. We base our values less on life, but more on status.
ReplyDeleteFrom personal experience, holding on to that old pair of jeans from 8th grade isn't about having a pair of jeans, but about holding on to an emotion or memory. If we simplify our personal space, we simplify our head.
Remi S.
Period 5
Americans*
DeleteI agree with Hill when he says that we own too many material items. Considering that there is a $22 billion self-storage industry, I think we can safely say that America has a problem with materialism. And it's not as if people can actually afford everything they own. Our country has an additional problem with credit card debit. Hill's suggestion to "edit ruthlessly' was interesting to me. As much as it is the perfect solution to get rid of all of our excess stuff, I think most people are afraid to part with things. They hide behind their belongings, which is wrong. You should display your intelligence or kindness, not your shoes that are on a credit line.
ReplyDeleteKatey Y. Period 5
Graham Hill definitely does bring up some good points as to how living in a smaller space can be better economically, give people a little more space because they will have gotten rid of so much junk, and just be very cool. However, Thoreau might not agree with him on most of these aspects as Thoreau believes in getting rid of absolutely everything that is unnecessary while Hill is more focused on talking to people as to how they can live better and save money on an apartment. Overall, if there is a problem with Hill's work I would want to know how much it costs in order to maximize the space efficiency of one of those small apartments. While Thoreau wants us to be more spiritual, Hill does take on a materialistic slant, so who should we go with?
ReplyDelete-Stas B.
I think that it's easy for this man to say that conserving space will make our lives better and easier, but when you're in a family situation then it's completely different. The space needs to be larger so that people aren't in each other's faces all the time. My room is the smallest in the house, but I love being able to experiment with storage. I believe that it's not really an issue of space but of what we do with it. Of course society is not perfect, and it never will be, but the fact that people are aware of the changes through the years is promising. We need minds like Mr. Hill's to share with us new ideas and new perspectives that we can then apply our own desires to come up with our perfect little world. A new thing that's become popular is known as "Tiny House Nation" where a really small house is built in a warehouse and then actually driven off to its location. The house is incorporated with the wishes of the person or people who will be living with it, and more people should take ideas from those people. Living simply, however, may only work for some people; others need to be busy all the time, checking out the newest technologies of different aspects. What I think we should take from this TED talk is that we should evaluate our lives and how we live them, and see what should be changed, done better, or eliminated.
ReplyDeleteI really liked the Ted talk, I liked how he made his audience connect back to a time in their life when less was more, like during camping or traveling. I could personally connect to this, as I have hiked for several days in a row with only what I was carrying on my back, making me truly appreciate what little I needed. I think that a big problem with people today is that we can no longer distinguish between what we want and what we legitimately need. Sure, buying a huge multi-purpose toaster oven with 6 different settings is nice, but would anyone want to carry that up a mountain? I don't think so. How about a pair of sparkly heels that you'll only wear once? Probably not. We've completely forgotten what little we need to get by. I agree with Ted in that if we cut down on what we have, we appreciate everything a little bit more.
ReplyDeleteLess is more, to me, sounds like an over simplified explanation of what Graham was hinting at. More important that just owning less, is owning more useful items. Rather than just buying less, we should buy what is important to us and can be used in more than one way or for a long time. One example of this is buying higher quality goods than just bulk of the cheapest thing we can find. Also, on the topic of size, I don't believe that smaller is better. Once again you need to rather think that you want to be as efficient as you can be in the space you have. My old room was half the size of the one I am in now. A year later I am happier in the larger room becuase I have filled it with the same things I did before, but now do not feel cluttered at all times.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Hill's statement that we can be happier by having less, however it is much easier said than done. Especially with a family, it is hard to simplify and condense our lives. Hill's tone made it seem like simple multi-use furniture is an easy fix to our desire for more space, yet most multi-use furniture is quite
ReplyDeleteexpensive and can be a hassle to assemble and reassemble. In addition, by spending less on space, we use the money we save to buy even more stuff that we don't actually need. Therefore, or affluence remains the same. With that being said, I believe that it is our intense desire for more stuff that makes us buy it rather than the amount of space that we have for it.
Erika M.
I seem to always find really interesting Ted Talks that I really enjoy, much like this one. I completely agree with Mr. Hill about how we should think of things we have and see if we can put them towards a greater use. However, he says that we should give away more material things, and try to focus on the things that bring us joy, whether that is spending time with family and friends or going on walks or even just relaxing by ourselves. Mr. Hill shows us that with his simplified life, he is indeed much much happier, not to mention saving A LOT of money, living in his 420 square feet (?) apartment compared to his 600 square feet apartment (?). I don't believe the phrase "less is more" is applicable to everything, but in this case, it definitely means something!
ReplyDeleteAfter watching this clip, I further understand how wasteful humans can be. Truly, it is clear that average American over consumes; we have triple the space than fifty years ago, yet we still fund a $22,000,000,000 industry of personal storage. As explained in the video, people can benefit by having less by not only saving money, but the environment as well. When hearing Hill talk about carbon footprints I made the connection to Environmental Science regarding affluenza. Affluenza is described as the desire to want more material items when you do not need them to survive. If we waste less and ultimately live more simply, it could result in more overall happiness. As Hill stated, having less could actually equal more; more freedom, more money, and less stress.
ReplyDeleteCarolyn Caminear Period 5
I completely agree with Hill's statement that "less is more". Simplifying your life and getting rid of excess things is a great idea for anyone. However, yes simplifying your home can be very efficient for many people, but it only is to a certain extent. Buying a smaller house, getting furniture that can be rearranged, and having less space can be perfectly fine for at most one person. For a family of 3 or more though, it would not be so efficient anymore. I agree with his statement, except only in the way he talks about simplifying the things we buy, the clothes we wear, or the things we hold on to. It definitely can help lead towards living a happier life.
ReplyDeletePeriod5
I mostly agree with Hill. I think people get exited when they buy new things, but then they don't get rid of the old things. They just shove them in a closet or basement when they should give them away. I know i'm guilty. However, i don't think limiting the amount of space and things you have would make you 100% happier. Sure you save money, which is always good, but that's not enough for you to find true happiness. I believe that true happiness comes when you pursue your passion. Find what you love to do most in this world and you will find happiness that will pay for itself and will last you a lot longer than any material object ever could. As the saying goes "You never work a day in your life if you love what you do".
ReplyDeleteChad C.
Grahm Hill brings up some interning points on living small. He thinks that if you live with less, there is more room for happiness. He has three main points for people to live by; edit ruthlessly, think small, and make multifunctional. If you can downsize on your belongings you can eliminate extra, unwanted stress.
ReplyDeleteMike A period 1
Hill brings up a very interesting point when he points out that American happiness has flatlined over the same 50 years. Even when today, we have countless material possessions designed to bring us happiness, no such happiness seems to occur. Much of the "editing" Hill describes is the idea of letting go, old shirts, unused items, and broken possessions are the objects that we must cut in order to streamline and edit our living space. Find efficiency in the way we live. Live smaller and live more efficiently. Save space and energy by reducing the square footage of your living quarters. We can save immense amounts of money through heating, cooling, and material possessions.
ReplyDeleteIn the ted talk, the speaker's tone is very passionate and sincere. He wants to better everyone's lives. He wants to help everyone make smaller but multifunctional ways to live. "Small is more" he states. He wishes to make everyone happy and stress-free by introducing ways to use small items to help us daily. It's inspirational.
ReplyDeleteScott K. Period 1.
After watching this short video, many things stood out to me. What I find most interesting in this video is how the speaker talks about how if you change one thing in your life, many changes will be made after that. For instances, the speaker talks about how if he were to buy a smaller apartment, he would save money on that. Then, he would save money because we would have less room for additional items to put in his apartment. Overall, It would help him save money and footprints. I think it's amazing how the "ripple" effect can take place when you are talking about cutting one thing out of your life. Alyssa S period 1
ReplyDeleteHill brings up many good points and each one seems to stem from the idea that less equals more and will also gain you more happiness. Now while i see his point i do disagree I know plenty of people who gain there happiness from seeing the newest movie or playing the newest game and I also know plenty that are content to just do nothing. I believe a persons happiness depends more on who they are as a person than what the own or do.
ReplyDeleteTyler R
In The Ted Talk, he gives 'saving money' as a reason for down sizing, which is a bit hypocritical. If we save more money, we're likely to use it to buy more or more expensively. Consumerism is such a large part of the American cult. I think that's part of the underlying issue here. Sure we can simply, but there is a reason why we collect so much stuff. If we weren't hoarding up stuff, then we wouldn't need to simplify our lives.
ReplyDeleteMeredith J. Period 5
This Ted Talk was about saving money by downgrading your life to the bare necessities. I agreed with him when he was talking about how our happiness directly correlates to the amount of "stuff" we have. If we get rid of the things we don't need in our lives it makes it much more enjoyable. When you're forced to live in a small space, say a 420 sq. foot apartment, you're forced to re-evaluate what you really need in your life. The only thing I disliked about this video was when he showed an example of what your house could look like. All the furniture that was showed looked really expensive and unattainable to people earning an average salary.
ReplyDeleteEmily H. Period 1
This Ted Talk, "less stuff, more happiness" really gave me a new perspective on the way I have been living. His tips such as "thinking before we buy" and using "multifunctional items" are quite logical and have many benefits. Hill repeatedly mentions in a sincere and genuine tone how simple changes can shorten your ecological footprint and also help yourself. He references his personal situation and how he decided to buy a 420 square foot apartment. This forced him to find ways to simplify his life and he quickly realizes that with a smaller living space he'd have less items which is ultimately economically beneficial. Lastly, Hill really got me thinking about my own life and that maybe if I got rid of my old items, that I no longer use, it would give me more space, and allow me to live more efficiently.
ReplyDeleteSam C. Period 1
I am intrigued by this Ted Talk. Often in my life it seems I am simply going from one product to another, constantly living and thinking about my materialistic needs and wants. However, I do enjoy camping, and just as the speaker said, I strongly enjoy having less with me. If we can forget about all the things we think we need so urgently, and simply live off of only what we actually need, we create room to find value and time in other things in life, such as people or music or something we are passionate about. In my life I think there is far too much I hold on to which I really no longer need. For example, just as the speaker said, I have several old shirts which I really don't need anymore. I agree that less can be more, and I aim to apply these values in my life, by cutting out the excess materials and replacing them with a more simple life style.
ReplyDeleteRome M period 5
After watching this video, it made me think about the things I have in my life that I don’t need. I agree with Hill that when we have more things that aren’t necessary, we don’t appreciate what is most important to us. If I eliminated everything in my life that I didn’t need, I would value what means the most to me more than when it was mixed in with what I didn’t care about. Hill stated that “less is more” and I believe this is true. I agree that if we all edited our lives and got rid of what we didn’t need, it would make life more simple and we would be able to focus on what matters most to us.
ReplyDeleteEmma D p1
In my opinion, I completely agree with everything Hill is saying. The more things we have, the more we spend.I've watched videos of people living a tiny, almost square boxed apartments. Its basically one room which they turn into bathroom,kitchen and a room. Sure they spend money on making all of this happen but once everything is done, the space they have is just to make their life more simple. Personally I have many items in my room that I never even use anymore. When I bought it, I didn't think how much use I could get out of it but it just made me happy at the moment so I said why not. Graham Hill was very calm and convincing with his perspective but however I don't think he was telling people what they should believe and shouldn't.
ReplyDelete- Shradha S P-1
I share many similar views as Hill, I agree that there are many things in our lives that we believe are necessary but they are actually not. When we have too many meaningless things in our lives we forget what is actually important. Hill decided to live in a smaller apartment that most would find comfortable but for him it actually served as a way for him to enlighten his own life. I think this is a very interesting idea and worth trying, maybe not exactly how he did it but maybe if we all got rid of the things we don't necessarily need, well see a beneficial change in our lives.
ReplyDelete-Shelby O, Period 1
I really liked the way Hill presented his ideas. He respected our right to have material objects that add to our lives while suggesting that eliminating some of these things might end up adding even more. Sometimes I think it would be nice to have to move because it would force me to go through all of my stuff and figure out what I really want and need. It's true that the feeling of weightlessness and freedom that comes with camping or travelling is a wonderful feeling. Hotels feel so clean and crisp because they don't have the marks of life and possessions on them; it might be nice to live in that for awhile, but ultimately I like the way my home feels. It is cozy and eclectic because of the things that are in it, and I feel like I might miss that if I were to live in an uncluttered, hotel-like modern home.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed watching this Ted talk. I agreed with lots of what Hill said. We do have lots of unnecessary meaningless things in our lives that we defiantly could live without. But I don't think that downsizing would necessarily make you happy. "less stuff, more happiness" doesn't ring true for everybody because not everything makes the same people happy. Some people live happily and lavish and some live modestly and are happy too. I agree that downsizing could help everyone as a whole and allow people to become more humble, but isn't the key to a happy life. Katherine S
ReplyDeleteBy these standards my life must be pretty great because my room is basically a 9 by 10 foot closet. I live right on the beach so all the houses in my neighborhood are really small and close together. When I think about it I love it like this. Its true my family doesn't pay as much as others for electricity and other necessary things that are needed in this day and age. but the topic that he brings up that I had never really thought about is stress. Now don't get me wrong I do have stress in my life, but none of it is money related. I don't worry about my family being in credit card debt or any debt for that matter. Also when he talks about having to minimize the amount of things you own so you don't have drawers overflowing I thought about my wardrobe. I don't have a load of clothes but I've learned that by layering things you can wear one thing a hundred different ways. This helps so that I don't need to have a huge wardrobe there for all my clothes fit in my dresser! I live a simpler life than most but after watching this Ted Talk and our experiments I want to improve on simplifying it even more!
ReplyDelete•Marissa S. P. 5