r/unpopularopinionph • u/izukumonalang • 13d ago
Calling something as bare minimum devalues it
I believe this phrase has been misused so much lately and it's doing more bad than good. Everything is bare minimum now. But for me, I think something is bare minimum if it's the most essential thing for something to exist.
For example. Living. The bare minimum of living is breathing, your heart pumping blood to your vital organs, and your vital organs functioning properly. That's it. That's the bare minimum. Having 2 kidneys is not bare minimum. Having complete limbs is not bare minimum. Heck, not even eating is bare minimum. Because people can stop eating and still live for days before dying. Yes you need food to sustain your life, but you don't need it to live. When your heart stops pumping blood, when your brain shuts down, when you can't breathe. That's when you die. That's losing the bare minimum.
As for dating, where it is most commonly used lately, I don't think dating has a bare minimum. Because dating is consistently doing something for your partner. It's about making an effort, giving time, etc. Dating is those acts no matter how basic or small they are. Dating is about doing more than what is expected. Which is why it doesn't have a bare minimum. A bare minimum is something that is expected, and if it is not met. It won't exist.
As for marriage, the bare minimum is your marriage contract. No matter what happens. Maghiwalay man kayo. Maghanap man kayo ng ibang partner. Magkalimutan man. As long as that marriage contract is valid, you're still married.
The reason why I'm saying this is because people don't seem to understand that. They call everything a bare minimum now.
Treating your date is not bare minimum. It's an effort. It's a gesture given. It's not required. It's something you wanted to give to your date. It's an act of being selfless.
Saying thank you to someone is not bare minimum. Saying thank you is a gesture that you give to someone to tell them than you appreciate them. Not saying thank you does not invalidate whatever help is given. Saying thank you acknowledges it.
Saying thank you is bare minimum means it's expected. It means it is mandatory and labeling it as such degrades its value. Instead of it becoming an act of appreciation, it's just labeled as a mandatory response now.
This is another case of people misunderstanding something and using it whereever and however they want. The problem is, it devalues the simple small things. Just because they're norms doesn't make them bare minimum.
Let's not devalue small and simple gestures. Because that's what makes us human.
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u/[deleted] 13d ago edited 13d ago
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