Over the last several months, I’ve learned that not keeping a permanent residence is the fastest way to overtly reduce the number of possessions one has :) It’s been a really helpful way to pare down the sheer number of things I own (which is now down to about a few suitcases), but also to realize that regardless of how little I have physically on me, the number of mental possessions I have remains countless lol.
Part of the reason I’ve been doing this for a while is to try and be a bit less materialistic. It’s funny how I’ve been pretty much looking to give stuff away for a while now, and whenever people comment on it, my reaction is “oh, its not like i’m a saint or anything, I just hate moving with so much stuff!” lol So a good excuse.
That being said, it’s also really hit home that just because one doesn’t have physical possessions doesn’t mean he/she has done anything to actually be less attached to the external world. My mental possessions form a laundry list that is too long to count!
So if the goal is to be environmentally friendly, voluntary simplicity is, i’m sure, a good way to start. However, if the idea is to not be so caught up in one’s life, I get the feeling that the internal battle is way larger than than any number of possessions externally :)
2 comments:
very good point...
Recently collected the remnant belongings of my Bay Area condo, realizing in a slightly different way that the subtle accumulations are indeed mountainous compared to the material! Easier to transport, but harder to carry too :-)
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