We live in a society that places a great deal of emphasis on material possessions. To maintain the economic growth of the last few decades, our society has become focused on the things that others own and structuring advertising to ensure that we "keep up with the Joneses".
"When you look at the buying habits that have taken hold in our culture over the past 30 years or so, you can see that we made the decision somewhere along the line to work longer hours so we could acquire more things. We've exchanged our leisure time for stuff" ~ Elaine St James. This works because there is a pleasure component to buying things (ergo shopping addictions).
I wonder how many people look at an item and decide whether the possession they are seeking is what they really want in life. I have been caught in the "stuff" trap; I have iPhone envy; I crave gorgeous clothes and, as Radiohead proclaim, "I want a perfect body. I want a perfect soul". But I am able, most days, to take a step back and realise that the stuff I have does not define the person I am. I am not worth more if I wear Prada than if I wear something from Target. My worth, in my opinion, is in the way I treat people and the things that I do, not the clothes that I wear or the type of phone I use to I keep in contact with people.
As the Irish philosopher Charles Handy once said, "We can manage our time. We can say no. We can give less priority, or more, to homework or to paid work. Money is essential but more money is not always essential. Enough can be enough".
I love this concept as it can be so easy to get to decide on a certain milestone (I want to go on a holiday) and get carried away (I want an overseas holiday flying business class and staying in 5 star hotels). The point here is that what you may really need is a break, some time out from the mundane reality of life and what eventuates is a burden of costs and expectations that are hard to meet.
Recently there was an ad for a credit card which ended with the line "I just want... more... stuff". (Don't get me started on advertising and it's effects on spending habits). Ever since the credit card ad aired, coupled with the fact that we face the prospect of moving the contents from our current home to the shouse (at about half the size of our current living space), the Gentleman Builder and I will pack things to donate and chant "I just want... less... stuff".
"When you look at the buying habits that have taken hold in our culture over the past 30 years or so, you can see that we made the decision somewhere along the line to work longer hours so we could acquire more things. We've exchanged our leisure time for stuff" ~ Elaine St James. This works because there is a pleasure component to buying things (ergo shopping addictions).
I wonder how many people look at an item and decide whether the possession they are seeking is what they really want in life. I have been caught in the "stuff" trap; I have iPhone envy; I crave gorgeous clothes and, as Radiohead proclaim, "I want a perfect body. I want a perfect soul". But I am able, most days, to take a step back and realise that the stuff I have does not define the person I am. I am not worth more if I wear Prada than if I wear something from Target. My worth, in my opinion, is in the way I treat people and the things that I do, not the clothes that I wear or the type of phone I use to I keep in contact with people.
As the Irish philosopher Charles Handy once said, "We can manage our time. We can say no. We can give less priority, or more, to homework or to paid work. Money is essential but more money is not always essential. Enough can be enough".
I love this concept as it can be so easy to get to decide on a certain milestone (I want to go on a holiday) and get carried away (I want an overseas holiday flying business class and staying in 5 star hotels). The point here is that what you may really need is a break, some time out from the mundane reality of life and what eventuates is a burden of costs and expectations that are hard to meet.
Recently there was an ad for a credit card which ended with the line "I just want... more... stuff". (Don't get me started on advertising and it's effects on spending habits). Ever since the credit card ad aired, coupled with the fact that we face the prospect of moving the contents from our current home to the shouse (at about half the size of our current living space), the Gentleman Builder and I will pack things to donate and chant "I just want... less... stuff".
With each iteration of clearing out in preparation for the move to the shouse I realise how much we have accumulated over the years that we don't need and probably never did.
Thankfully, decluttering is the buzz-word of the minute among housey people and zen interiors are popular.
We have adopted three criteria for deciding whether to keep something we are undecided about:
Each time I go this process it gets easier. I make decisions faster and don't fret about the choice I make.
For me, throwing out an item that might one day have a purpose has always been difficult. For this reason, I have accumulated a whole room full of stuff that sits there and makes the room unusable. I am finding it difficult but I am getting better at not accepting new stuff and not buying things that don't have an immediate need. I have found that I am getting better at not taking things into the home that I will eventually have to throw out.
Furthermore, I now have a better filtering mechanism when buying things. I acknowledge that I used to buy things I didn't even need. It would appear that some people go even further and buy things they don't want. Now, I actually contemplate the purchases I make. Part of the reason for doing so is financial. Another is space limitation (I don't want to end up having to throw it away because it will not fit in the shouse). Furthermore, I refuse to pay for storage for my stuff.
I find I can get away with much less. As the 90s ad campaign goes; reduce, reuse, recycle!
Thankfully, decluttering is the buzz-word of the minute among housey people and zen interiors are popular.
We have adopted three criteria for deciding whether to keep something we are undecided about:
- Does it serve a purpose?
- Is it of sentimental value?
- Is it pretty?
Each time I go this process it gets easier. I make decisions faster and don't fret about the choice I make.
For me, throwing out an item that might one day have a purpose has always been difficult. For this reason, I have accumulated a whole room full of stuff that sits there and makes the room unusable. I am finding it difficult but I am getting better at not accepting new stuff and not buying things that don't have an immediate need. I have found that I am getting better at not taking things into the home that I will eventually have to throw out.
Furthermore, I now have a better filtering mechanism when buying things. I acknowledge that I used to buy things I didn't even need. It would appear that some people go even further and buy things they don't want. Now, I actually contemplate the purchases I make. Part of the reason for doing so is financial. Another is space limitation (I don't want to end up having to throw it away because it will not fit in the shouse). Furthermore, I refuse to pay for storage for my stuff.
I find I can get away with much less. As the 90s ad campaign goes; reduce, reuse, recycle!
No comments:
Post a Comment
Thanks for making a comment, your opinion is valued