How much junk do we all have?
A lot.
I bet if we all really took a hard look at what we own, we could live without the vast majority of it.
Sure, we think “Oh no, I need that, really I do”.
But then all it takes is to go for a walk in an poor area, and you realize what you can live without.
We surround ourselves with “stuff”. We accumulate so much “stuff” that we literally end up drowning in it. The media glamourizes things so much, our friends have things we don’t we think we need it all. Need and want are so different. Nothing feels so good to me as getting rid of junk. I love things to be neat and ordered, yet at this time of year I always have a bit of a fit and want to chuck half of what I own since it just takes up room, collects dust and is a waste of money and packaging.
When I went to Brazil a few years back, I took a trip up the Amazon. I saw people living in shacks floating on the river. At first I thought “How awful”. Then I thought about it a bit more. They had an amazing source of protein (fish) a their front door, they had a roof over their head, the children were smiling and playing, the adults were smiling. Food, clothing, shelter, a hospitable climate…they had it all, and they didn’t have to work 9-5 to get it; what’s wrong with the rest of us?
I need to be more selective about “stuff” I acquire and, basically collect less of it so that I can enjoy what I have more.