As I packed for my move to Spain, I realized I have too much stuff.
Stuff I should keep, stuff I should throw away, stuff I should plan to keep in storage, stuff that can be reused or recycled, stuff I should plan to buy in Europe. All this talk has kept me up at night, wondering:
When is enough too much?
What would we have time to do if we spent less time buying/organizing/admiring/rolling around in/getting buried by all our stuff?
There is simply too much stuff in the world. The volume of material that is created, recycled, passed around and thrown away on this planet every day is truly exceptional. As a species, we are obsessed with stuff: how much we have, how much others have, the qualities and advantages of this stuff versus that stuff-which of 17 brands of peanut butter is best, how many disposable cups we can accumulate or not accumulate in a day. We do not buy based on need. Instead, we buy based on desire. Erica Sofrina writes about the experience of shopping in an article on care2 and says:
Shopping is filling a need. It often provides a distraction from having to look at what is really making us unfulfilled. Instead of going to the mall, take an afternoon off and go somewhere in nature that inspires you.
I agree with this. Here’s why I think we do it:
Accumulating stuff is EASY
Commercials and Facebook advertisements tell you what to buy. If you don’t feel like going outside, you can just go online and an adorable drone robot kitten will deliver your brand new mercenary paintball turret right to your back door. No money? Charge it! You do know everyone else in the neighborhood has a mercenary paintball turret, right? Stop thinking so much and just buy, Buy, BUY.
How to Stop
In preparing to move abroad I want to stop buying stuff. More than that, I want to stop contributing to this wasteful, superficial, capitalism tornado that is tearing apart our society and destroying our planet. I am headed to Europe with the feeling that I am good enough, my belongings are good enough and everything is going to be fine. That feeling is not made out of my stuff. I did not shop for it. Material possessions don’t make me feel that way. Instead of focusing on stuff, I am focusing on life.
In my move, I am excited to go meet new people. I hope they are kind and funny and interesting. I don’t really care what brand of jeans they have on. I’m excited to walk in the parks, attempt a new language and drink (much too much) coffee in the plazas. Here’s to hoping that none of those activities will require a mercenary paintball turret (though they do require effective communication-see related post here). Besos!
