Is clutter the defining characteristic of our culture? If we were aliens investigating the archaeology dig known as earth far in the future, what would we make of the modern 21st century world? Hopefully, “Hoarders” will not be the sole media find, nor my garage… There is just a lot of pointless stuff out there. We keep it because we make up bizarre notions about possible utility in the future, have sentimental attachment to inanimate objects, and have a strange resistance to giving up any of our stuff.
Why are we like this?!?! I think we have some hard wiring that has stuck around genetically for millennia that favors those who keep some stuff around to make tools out of or use creatively in the future. That notion may have saved the human race a few times back in the day when we were basically prey in a hostile world. Now though, that trait makes us the embarrassing topic as our children debate how they will deal with our junk when we die.
How can we then simplify our lives? First, we need to embrace some key concepts:
- Inward Reality, Outward Lifestyle: It starts with a change in the heart (trusting God, not things) that then shapes daily choices and possessions.
- Contentment: Learning to be satisfied with “food and covering,” recognizing material blessings as gifts, not possessions to hoard.
- Focus & Purpose: Freeing energy and time from excess to focus on spiritual growth, God’s will, and serving others.
- Trust & Generosity: Moving from a mindset of “mine” to “God’s,” enabling generous giving and living by faith.
- Counter-Cultural: Resisting societal pressures for more, greed, and materialism.
This list was gleaned by Google AI off the internet: funny that it found most of this in spiritual writings that points to a higher power – A creator who is in charge that we can trust in for the important stuff, and the subsequent reduction in meaning of the physical stuff in life. The next step then is to examine our lives and our stuff. What needs to go to help me embrace simplicity? Start in one corner of the house and work through your stuff: what can I give away? Can I feel joy with less? Can I trust that I really don’t need this? There is humility in this.
The concepts above imply a deeper learning that must go on – an inward journey that helps define us, and then the outward manifestation of our hard work shows in our lifestyle. This is a spiritual journey that can affect every aspect of our lives.
So for me, reducing clutter in my life is a spiritual journey rooted in the discipline of simplicity, and that is a big order. How can I declutter my life? This is a recurring question that helps me focus on simplicity and reverence, and looking at how I reflect those values in my actual choices. Declutter for me starts in my daily routine, in my communication with those I care about, in my accumulation of stuff that so gets in the way of pursuing the very things I value most: faith, hope, and love.
Ways to start:
- Meditate for 5 minutes each morning focusing on breathing, and enjoyment of the nature outside your window.
- Take 2-3 hours each Saturday morning to look through your stuff in a particular place – start in your closet, or one room of your home/apartment. Find items to give away and take them to Goodwill.
- Birthdays and Christmas: give only one gift per person, and do a name draw so everyone gets one person to focus on.
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