Less Is More

George Carlin had a skit where he use to talk about "stuff". It was a play on the Western world's quest for more material objects. He mentioned how people would get stuff which required them to clean, insure, maintain, and house it all. Then, when we go too much of it, we got a storage unit to put the excess in. This comical skit epitomizes the mindset of our culture.

Here is an exercise for you. Try living the next 6 months with the "less is more" mindset. Materialism is a disease to many. Now, don't get me wrong. There is nothing wrong with material objects or wanting the "finer things in life". The problem is when people identify their worth by what they own.

Where do we start? Look in your closets and cupboards. What is there that you can get rid of? A good rule of thumb is to rid yourself of anything that was not touched in the last year. If you haven't used it in the last 12 months, you can get rid of it. Being a pack rat is a disservice to you on many levels. When we clear away excess, it has an incredible cleansing effect on us.

We became a culture which forgot what is important. It is not uncommon for a household to have a television for each person. Quickly, the same is true for computers. We have lots of devices which can alleviate the need to interact with each other. We become mindless robots who are entertained by inanimate objects.

The age of consumerism led us to buy lots which was not needed in our lives. The concept of "well I got it on sale" is a mainstream idea. Recent events might necessitate changing that behavior. Many are now forced to tighten the belt. Begin this practice before you are put in a position where you have to do it. This will make the transition a lot easier.
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