Everywhere from psychology to interior design there is this pervasive theme of decluttering. Just type it into google and you'll find tips for decluttering everything from your closet to your mind. What exactly is clutter? And why does it seem to be such an epidemic?
I went to the only source for reliable answers and Wikipedia told me that clutter is "a confusing or disorderly state or collection" and excessive amounts of this could be a symptom of compulsive hoarding. Wait, I thought only hamsters and mice hoarded, ew are we turning into rodents? I suppose if our junk drawers equivalent to a hamster's cheek pouches then we may as well be OCD rodents!
How did this happen? Why do we collect all this stuff that is just weighing us down? And how does it get out of control so fast? I think it means that stuff is always coming in, to our homes and our minds, but stuff rarely goes out. Well, smelly garbage and the stuff we flush down the toilet make it out but other things build up and get hidden in the nooks and crannies and junk drawers of our lives. We have yet to perfect a system of releasing old things.
On second thought, there seem to be plenty of systems, checklists, formulas, guide books, and advice from everyone under the sun. Of course, everyone wants to cash in on the misery of others but its just making matters worse by cluttering our minds and bookshelves with more junk. "Decluttering" is just the new fad diet that will never work because something is fundamentally effed up with our culture.
Our lives are driven by a sense of scarcity, especially lately with the "state of the economy", the "worldwide recession", and the "global crisis". Yet, in America, at least, we're suffering from record amounts of obesity and a seemingly widespread epidemic of clutter, which, cannot possibly be a result of lack. Perhaps, if we stop wasting our time and space with all the materials out there on dieting and decluttering, and start seeing these issues as symptoms of abundance we can approach a solution. But as long as we are driven by a false sense of scarcity we're always going to feel hungry.
Comments (1)
We do have to much stuff and that has been a big goal in my life the last couple years... Just to own and consume less stuff.
I think that the need to organize stuff doesn't necessarily always get solved just by having less stuff. If you have less stuff and consume less media, you have more time... Then you end up organizing your time... Time to work, time to exercise, time to see friends. Also, communications is another thing I don't always try to have less of. So managing emails, twitters, txts, phone calls, and other ways to make sure I stay in touch and don't loose out on friendships takes organization.
I think your basic point is right though, that we all have way to much stuff... and adding stuff to help you organize your stuff, doesn't really help with the situation.
Posted by Dan | March 31, 2009 3:28 PM
Posted on March 31, 2009 15:28