Three years ago, I watched a video called "The 100 Thing Challenge." It was all about donating, recycling, or otherwise getting rid of 100 things you don't need. It got me thinking about the possessions that really mattered to me -- although my room was light years away from an episode of hoarders, there were so many things that I didn't need, of which could better serve others. It started just by looking at small stuff, like my dresser and closet, then spread into every part of my bedroom. After I surpassed the 100 things the process kept going, and for me, it became the 1000 things challenge.
You understand what makes life meaningful.
Getting rid of those extraneous belongings illuminated me to the reality of how little possessions affected our life. There are people in this world with a great abundance of things and no joy or meaning in their life. What matters is not the possessions we accumulate, but the value we add to the lives of others.
It is the preoccupation with possessions, more than anything else that prevents us from living freely and nobly. Bertrand Russell.
A sense of giving back.
The library became one of my biggest beneficiaries during this process; they received many books, movies, and CDs. The reason it was important to me to donate rather than sell was the benefit it provides to those who are less fortunate. There are so many people who could be inspired by the stories in those books, or the scenes in those movies that were donated. So many impoverished Americans rely on the library as a source for new information, and to keep these otherwise useful things in my room would seem selfish. Caring about others and doing good deeds are what a meaningful life is all about.
“We rise by lifting others.” Robert Ingersoll.
A more sustainable lifestyle.
When I rid myself of all the things that I didn’t need, I found my buying habits change to maintain this order. Because of my lifestyle, I now only need a 10x15 dorm room to keep all my stuff, and with room to spare. You won’t ever find me living in a McMansion or Biltmore-esque edifice. My considerably smaller dwellings will use a fraction of the resources of an average home. Additionally, my purchases will be fewer. The products I purchase will further curtail my carbon footprint as I can select fewer possessions that are both reusable and durable.
“Let the states of equilibrium and harmony exist in perfection, and a happy order will prevail throughout heaven and earth, and all things will be nourished and flourish.” Confucius.
