Most people end up with more stuff at the end of a particular day. Many natural and cultural forces conspire to fill our lives with an abundance of things, and to keep filling, even when appearances would seem to suggest the vessel is already full.

If the vessel be one’s house, the potential accumulation is primarily constrained by the dwelling’s volume, though to a degree personal/familial enjoyment or tolerance of clutter also come into play. If the vessel is a bag or suitcase, it will likely be full.

This is one problem with the capacious Xtracycle. You can carry more, so you do. This does not mean you need to carry more. It means you need to develop a strong sense for what you need. I have not devolped this sense.

But I have come up with some principles for avoiding overstuffing of my entire existence. They fall into a regimen I call “decumulation.” It’s easy, and there are many ways. I am no master, but, I do aspire to be!

First, get rid of half of your clothes. Easy choices are pieces you haven’t worn for months. Out!
Second, when you get one new clothes, get rid of two clothes you already have.

Clothing is a good place to start because we have so much more of it than we possibly need. It will get you in practice. You probably also have too much silverware and too many pots. (I need a nice pot, if you decide to get rid of one. See, this is hard.) You definitely have too many shoes and towels.

So, Third, get rid of a lot of other stuff. Become a master decumulator/decumulatrix.

What to do with it all? Donate it, of course. Thrift store, FreeCycling, Relief organizations. Or if you need some cash, ebay it. The profound thing about decumulation: when you get rid of stuff, when you give it away, or throw it away, or sell it, or do whatever needs to be done with it, you actually end up feeling wealthier.

You don’t have to get rid of your favorite things! But sometimes that is the best excercise of all! After you’ve done that, you can get rid of anything and you’ll see how little you really need. One of my happiest friends could put all his stuff in or on his backpack.

But why decumulate? After all, this culture measures worth, value, success, and a bunch of other bullhinkle according to how much you’ve got and how big it all is. I think getting rid of stuff (and buying less to begin with) frees our mind and soul, brings us somehow closer to the essence of living–in some way “stuff” separates us from our true nature, protects us from rich experience, numbs us to the intensity of the world. Overeating, overwatching t.v., overdriving, overworking, overbuying–all serve to cut us off.

What’s more, accumulation is resource intensive! It’s hard on the earth to make all that stuff and ship it to you and suck it up when it’s thrown away. We have innate attraction to simple. Simple appeals, and yet, we confound it. There’s a magazine called Real Simple all about buying your way to simplicity!

Maybe stop buying presents and show people you care some other way. Please post your own ideas about slimming down the household.

This entry was posted on Monday, October 3rd, 2005 at 11:12 pm and is filed under Green Living, Stuff. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.