This visual narrative by Chris Welsby says it all about consumerism. As a society we have an issue with buying more and more stuff in order to try and pertain some sense of satisfaction and happiness in life. I'm here to tell you dear friend, stuff does not, cannot, and will not ever make you truly happy.
Personally, I've been on the 'overload of stuff bus' and the ride was extremely unpleasant. I thought perhaps I could find my identity by buying all of the clothes and all of the shoes, makeup, accessories, lotions, potions, fragrances, ect. I thought by stockpiling on craft products that I would magically become an artist and start making art all the time. Perhaps if I bought all of the supplements at the health food store I'd be much healthier.
The issue here is searching for who you are with buying stuff, and trying to be happy because of what you own. Knowing who you are and being happy is an internal process. You are happy because of what's happening in your mind. You find out who you are by asking the right questions and searching through your being, not sifting through a department store.
I first read a book about Vastu, the ancient art of homemaking that is a precurser to Feng Shui, and then I later read "Spark Joy" by Marie Kondo and learned that all you need to do to solve the buying more stuff problem is to start looking at everything you own and ask yourself how it makes you feel.
Here's how this process worked for me:
Do you like this shampoo or this one better? Why do you need five different bottles of shampoo when they all do the same thing? Why is there so many lotions? Why not keep the products that work and occasionally splurge on fine fragrances if you want to change it up a bit?
How often do you wear these pants or that shirt? If it hasn't been worn in the past year, it has to go. Chances are you'll never wear it, besides, fashion fades and style is timeless, right? That neutral hued sweater is comfy and timeless, that's a good reason to keep it. Oh, and I wear those jeans every week - they stay. I don't need 50 purses, just my Louis Vuitton wallet sized one that has the cross-body strap, and maybe a bigger one for trips.
Why do I need to hold onto this statue that my ex ex ex gave me before we had a nasty breakup? You're right! I don't need this in my house because it's stewing in negative energy. Anything that is attached to bad memories or negative feelings about something needs to go.
You get the idea. I just keep repeating this process. You'd be amazed at how much stuff you can get rid of over a year of doing this. It's a life changing experience. Less clutter equals more space in your surroundings but also in your mind. It's a great feeling to let things that don't serve you go.
At some point I guess we all realize that there is a world full of stuff and it can never be all consumed, but it doesn't hinder some from trying. Try to make a goal for yourself to get rid of one thing a month that you no longer use and I can almost guarantee that you'll be letting much more go, too.
Goodbye stuff! Hello the new me!
