[intermediate] Minimalism : A Documentary About the Important Things

[Words]

★ on the hunt 사냥을 하고 있는

to chase or search for game or other wild animals for the purpose of catching or killing

★ mania 열광

An excessive enthusiasm or desire

Ex) He had a mania for automobiles.

★ buck 달러

dollar

Ex) Can I borrow a couple of bucks?

★ tremendously 엄청나게

to a very great amount or level

Ex) Our water resources are tremendously important.

★ dissatisfaction 불만

not pleased with something; feeling that something is not as good as it should be

Ex) At the moment she’s experiencing a lot of dissatisfaction with her job

★ compulsory 강제적인, 의무적인

if something is compulsory, you must do it because of a rule or law

Ex) The law made wearing seat belts in cars compulsory

★ take control of ~을 주도하다

to get the power and right to direct someone or something

Ex) Will you take control of this project?  

★ degradation 악화, 저하

the process in which the beauty or quality of something is destroyed or spoiled

Ex) One of the effects of environmental degradation is the absence of fish in that river.

★ seep into 침투하다, 서서히 확산하다.

to flow or leak in gradually but steadily

Ex) I realized there was a fire downstairs when I noticed smoke seeping in to our bedroom.  

[Quizzes]

Water is ________ into the basement.

English is ________ for all students, but art and music are optional.

One of the effects of environmental _________ is the absence of fish in that river.

[Questions]

What do you know about minimalism movement?

Do you think you will be happier if you own less things?

What is your most valued material possession?

[Script]

We spend so much time on the hunt. But nothing ever quite does it for us. And we get so wrapped up in the hunt that it kind of makes us miserable. Black Friday shopping mania still playing out tonight at malls across America. High hopes of saving some big bucks on those holiday gifts. We as a culture have lost our minds. There’s no question that what it means to have achieved the American Dream has increased tremendously in material terms. This is not something that just happened yesterday. This is something that has been sold to us over the past hundred years by those that want to make a whole lot of money. Now that’s what I call a good looking car. You have this thing that you were obsessed about, but then the new version comes out, and now you no longer care about the one you have. In fact, the one you have is a source of dissatisfaction. People are beginning to recognize that they have maybe been tricked. There is no “out” until you become aware. You’re not going to get happier by consuming more. Ready? I was born ready. There’s nothing wrong with consumption. The problem is compulsory consumption. We’re tired of acquiring things because that’s what we’re “supposed” to do. When I heard about minimalism, it wasn’t about just getting rid of my stuff. It was about taking control of my life and stop being told what to do and actually deciding what I wanted to do. When I first started reducing the number of things in my life, I found out that I had 51 things in the entire world. We probably sold or donated at least 90 % of our stuff. As I started to move that stuff out, I was able to finally realize what I had sacrificed. I don’t know what the most common three words are in American homes. I don’t know if it’s “I love you” or if it’s “I want that.” This same thing that’s not making us happy is also causing the degradation of our habitat. We’re going to have to give up a lot, but the secret is that a lot of that we’re not actually going to miss. What I found with minimalism is it’s a way of saying “let’s stop the madness.” When you recognize that this life is yours, and that is your one and only, and when that seeps directly into your bones, and you can recognize that this is it, everything changes.    

[Answers]

seeping / compulsory / degradation