Toothbrush
When I was studying mainstream economics and business, I could not imagine that one day I would be writing about my toothbrush. Many fellow business school students' dreams at that time were to become millionaires before the age of 30, to buy a large house, to own certain cars, to have a successful career in a large multinational corporation. My dream was to live with less and live harmoniously. At that time, I didn't exactly know how to make my dream reality, how to bring together my work, my practice and my worldview. Then I realised that no one could force me to pursue conventional success. My fellow humans often say that capitalism wants something. Yet, even though capitalism is powerful and its structures persistent, it doesn't have a mind. Essentially, capitalism does not want anything, it doesn't care if I pursue conventional success or not. It was freeing to realise this. I decided to practise voluntary simplicity more intentionally and do my PhD in degrowth. This journey came with struggles, but I observe that those pursuing conventional success struggle too.
The decision to study formally my own practice of consumption and relating with the world via autoethnography has been one of the best decisions that I've made as a human being and a researcher. I decided to make all my data public so others can see exactly what informs my autoethnographic study, what challenges I encounter, what systems empower and constrain me.
Living with less feels liberating, but having "less" (or any particular number of items) is not the goal in itself. I don't think there is a goal. It's a journey of relating with the world (the self, human and non-human others, and nature/the cosmos) differently. Philosophy explores this, and while it is part of my contemplation, practice matters so much. It feels important to manifest values in concrete, obvious ways. When I talk about using a toothbrush, this is something everyone can understand and relate with. It's so much less abstract than if I talk about visions, concepts, and definitions.
For my personal care, for a long time I've been using five items: shampoo, soap, multi-purpose balm, toothpaste and toothbrush. At times, I invited other things into my life (such as almond oil or shea butter) but I got them for a specific purpose and didn't repurchase after I used them up. For example, I got them when it was very cold in winter and my skin was dry. At one point, as my hair was getting longer, I invited a solid conditioner into my life. I enjoyed using it, but then I noticed that I could live without it as well. I used soap to wash my body, hands, and face. The multi-purpose balm I used instead of a face cream, lip balm, hand cream, body lotion. When I only had five personal care items, I thought that this is how it's always going to be. I would continue to live with those five items. It felt like it was not much, and generally less than what fellow humans live with in our society.
I live with an autoimmune skin condition. It's not a pleasant experience, but from a young age this experience taught me to be sceptical about claims manufacturers make about "care" and "beauty". When I have severe flareups, I visit a doctor. But when I have mild flareups and discomfort, I simply stop using anything on my skin. This strategy has worked well for me. Recently, I began to question if I really needed to live with soap and shampoo. I began to use soap only for my hands, and water for my face and body. I would use shampoo only rarely, borrowing it from my partner. I used to have a solid shampoo, but I decided not to repurchase it after I ran out of it.
Oftentimes, when fellow humans discuss issues of capitalism, private property, communal property and so on, they jokingly say that they want a personal toothbrush. I realised that it was not a joke after all. The only personal care item that I own is a toothbrush. The toothpaste I share with my partner. At home, we also have a small jar of vaseline. Vaseline is a by-product of petroleum industry, so partly I feel uncomfortable about it. Yet, it is an ingredient that feels comfortable on my skin, and I don't even use it often. A benefit of it, in my experience, is that it keeps for a very long time, unlike plant oils. At times, I use it instead of a plaster for very shallow cuts.