It’s in the name. Tiny.
Today’s world – the western world, at least – is one of excess. Others look at us with either jealousy, pity, or scorn.
There are still plenty of problems. However, the average North American family home is now well in excess of 2,000 square feet (185 m2). That’s about double what it was fifty years ago.
I can’t help but ask myself – why? In 1950, 2.5 billion people were living on the planet. Now, we’ve reached 8 billion (and climbing)! So it’s not like there are fewer people, mouths to feed, or incomes to generate.
Of course, this continent – developed by Europeans relatively late in terms of history – has plenty of ‘space’. But should that mean we use as much of it as possible?
No.
That’s where tiny homes could and should help.
The world of excess and the problem it creates
The majority of people in all generations throughout all time have been malnourished. Until recently, this often stemmed from a lack of resources, leading to underdevelopment in relation to someone’s potential.
Over the last few decades, though, this trend has reversed – in the English-speaking world, at least. Malnutrition, for most people, now stems from excess. Too much food (and not enough of the right kinds).
It’s the complete opposite.
It’s just not just food, either. We have too many things, too many entertainment options, too many hands-off devices, too much access to anything online, and so on.
In theory, these things free a person up to do more productive things. For example, a dishwasher should save you some time (although how much is debatable), allowing you to work some more or go to bed earlier. But, in reality, rather than work harder, we walk into the living room, flop on the sofa, and turn the TV on.
That’s not everyone, of course. But I can’t help but think that it’s the vast majority of us.
Where is the satisfaction?
It seems to me that this excess is a significant symptom of the abundance of low-mood mental illnesses we see today. Perhaps this stems from no satisfaction – very few rewards for a person’s labour.
This Ellen Goodman quote sums up my thoughts exactly:
Normal is getting dressed in clothes that you buy for work and driving through traffic in a car that you are still paying for, in order to get to the job you need to pay for the clothes and the car, and the house you leave vacant all day so you can afford to live in it.
It’s no wonder people are struggling! Nothing can ever get done because we’re in a perpetual state of too much, and therefore nothing gets done.
How tiny homes hope to combat excessive tendencies
Tiny homes on wheels hope to combat excessive tendencies by eliminating the problem at its source.
If you don’t have space to have too much, you naturally – well, can’t. As a result, there’s no need to worry about working to afford the things you don’t have.
Simple. Well, theoretically, at least.
Legislatively, tiny homes are a grey area. In North America, the trend is catching, with laws being set in place to permit these dwellings. ‘RV parks’, having a ‘home office’, ‘temporary housing’, and living off-grid are all ways it can be approached, besides pushing for change at your local council.
In the UK, it’s more complicated. The lack of space means there aren’t many places you can live in a tiny home. The easiest option is to live with a family member or rent a small parcel of farmland.
But there’s always a way to make it work. Over the coming years, I expect tiny homes to become more and more popular, so many of these issues must be addressed in future.
A return to the simple life
Tiny homes allow a person back to a simple life without sacrificing modern developments in technology, food provision, cleanliness and healthcare.
It’s simply about having what you need and nothing more.
Ironically, these so-called tiny homes would probably just be referred to as ‘homes’ if they existed a couple of centuries ago!
It’s time for a rethink! A rethink about what matters and what the future looks like! Tiny homes on wheels (or foundations) might not have all the answers, but they’re a step in the right direction.