Day 11: The Things We Keep (pt. 3)

The truth is that we are living like Kings and Queens and we don’t even realize it. Actually, we are living better than Kings and Queens because we don’t have the diseases they did. Whatever we want we can get with a click of a button and it shows up at our house. Yes, we all work hard for the money that we make so that we can have things that we need or want. Families need providing for. I’m not talking about the necessities or even the small luxuries. I am talking about having so many clothes or shoes that you can’t fit them all in your closet. I’m talking about having so much food that we are mad that we have to eat leftovers the next day. I’m talking about buying things as an impulse. I’m talking about the ridiculous notion that just because we are celebrating a holiday that we have to spend hundreds to thousands of dollars for our friends and family on stuff they probably didn’t need anyway.

I believe that we are creating a bubble of luxury. It may not be in the next fifty or a hundred years, but sooner or later the resources on Earth will run out and they are going to blame us. They are going to blame the era of Unrealistic Consumption. And when that bubble pops, I think it will fall down like dominoes too fast to stop. Imagine a world where all that convenience stops. The Walmart and Meijer and Costco stop getting their shipments. Where you can’t buy new clothes whenever you want. Where millions of pounds of fruit and vegetables can’t be delivered because there isn’t enough fuel to transport them from California or Mexico in the winter. Where the scarcity of goods and transportation cause the price of everything to become unaffordable. With a population of this size, it would create chaos. That is not a future I want for this planet or our species.

An old friend of mine used to say, “Waste not, want not.” What that means is if we won’t squander and waste what we have, then we won’t want more down the road. We are all guilty of overconsumption and wasting and throwing things in the garbage that magically gets taking from our house. But I hope we are all becoming more aware of what we could do to or for future generations.

Lifestyles will have to change slowly, but there are small things we all know we can do to cut back that will make a big difference. And if you don't know, do some research.

When we have too many things they become a burden, stacks of things in a garage or attic. Eventually, it will all deteriorate and find its way back to Earth, so what is the point in saving every little thing. When you have less you appreciate the possessions you have because they have use, they have value, they are a part of your life. And that kind of mentality is what I hope humans find again. Material possessions are necessary to the extent that they don’t serve a purpose for our life. If we don’t use something then we shouldn’t stick it in a closet and wait for the day that we will pick it up again. Instead, we should find someone else who might appreciate it as part of their life.

Long live the Thrift Stores!

Rant over.

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Author’s Note #1: I challenge you this holiday season to make a minimalist agreement with your family. If you must give gifts, give one gift. Accept one gift. Because that one gift coming from someone that loves you will have so much more value than a thousand gifts. I promise you that you will feel more grateful and light as you share time with family and friends.