Voicelessness and Emotional Survival > Voicelessness and Emotional Survival Message Board
Voluntary Simplicity stuff
Hopalong:
Okay, Mudbro, you can keep your truck. :P
Leah, my Simplicity Covenant Group starts in January.
I think about this stuff a lot because both in my job and spiritually and personally, I am drawn to things like:
--vegetarianism
--green architecture or remodeling
--sustainability
--the work of Friez Haeg
--organic
--locavore
--closer relationship to animals
--endangered species
--planting local varieties
--heirloom seeds
--energy conservation
Mind you, "drawn to" in my case means "think about a lot". I'm too overwhelmed + lazy + morally slothful to enact it all. In my life, it has meant so far, changing all lightbulbs to CFLs, eliminating junk mail and recycling, carrying a tote bag and trying not to take plastic bags at stores, selling CFLs at church to fund Green Sanctuary programs, starting a side business (preimilaries, on pause now) selling something organic that will use recycled products in part, giving up meat and poultry (not fish, and had a few worse lapses a couple weeks ago), and starting Dr. Schultze's Superfood! (Ami, meant to tell you...I FEEL it. Amazing energy lift.)
There's more. But it just interests me on every level. Not as deprivation and martyrdom. Just as a direction I believe we all must go, it's good to go, and ultimately we'll be forced to go by changes in the world. I embrace it anyway, so might as well get a head start. And it excites me. Architecture has always excited me, and innovation excites me. Years ago, my ex taught me about Bucky Fuller. Today, I think Bucky's equivalents are the Green planners, designers, alternative energy technology people.
Anyway, de-cluttering is a good place for me to focus where I can accomplish something this winter.
love
Hops
mudpuppy:
--- Quote ---Just as a direction I believe we all must go, it's good to go, and ultimately
--- Quote ---we'll be forced
--- End quote ---
to go by changes in the world.
--- End quote ---
Uh oh, starting to sound like "four legs good, two legs bad". :P
BTW this thread reminds me of one of my favorite Bob Newhart jokes;
Thoreau was famous for telling people to "Simplify, simplify".
Newhart said, "Wouldn't it have been simpler if he'd just said it once?"
For some reason that always cracks me up.
mud
changing:
Hi Everyone-
This thread is funny and profound- my favorites. I am voluntarily/involuntarily simplified- and I love it (most of the time- uh-oh, more complexity!)! Lots of work though, and lots of undoing- will it ever end? This is yet another subject that is taboo in the 3D world on any meaningful level. I have found Izzy's example to be of significant benefit on this subject, and very freeing. Leah, Ami Lupita- Thank you for your sharing, it helps me to face my own "stuff" with clarity and purpose! Mud, I share your notions of compulsary freedom and voluntary choices. And the joke s are good, too! Hoppy, you rock as always!!! You are so honest and wise and deep and friendly to the world and its fragile creatures (including the frailties of mankind)- every post has so much in it to feed and nurture good thoughts and good living.
Love,
Changing
Hopalong:
Oh heck, Mud...I didn't mean forced by other people or legislation, I was referring to being forced to by Mama/Papa Nature.
I HOPE conservation will take off like Peace 'n Love and be voluntary.
Anyhow, didn't mean this to be a political thread, notatall...
:D
Hops
tayana:
Oh, I love this topic! I wanted to respond to this earlier, but I didn't get the chance. We were on our way out to see Mr. Magorium. That was my Black Friday contribution.
This topic is something that I often think about. I am a self-admitted packrat. I would buy one thing and end up with a huge collection, and then I couldn't enjoy the one thing I'd bought and really wanted. When I moved, one of the things I wanted to do was get rid of clutter. Things that didn't fit. Things I didn't use. Things I had too many of. I wanted to organize and simplify, because I was drowning in stuff.
I still have a lot of stuff, I'll admit, but I have gotten rid of so much stuff since I moved. I Threw away tons of papers. I threw away cards. I threw away things that were broken, things that I just couldn't use and were of no value. I threw away school papers, art projects, etc, because I just didn't have room for them. I wanted a new uncluttered look. I donated boxes of books to the library because I didn't have space for them. I'm still getting rid of things. I'd bring things from my parents' house and take them to the donation place or the resale store. I put things on Ebay.
When I lived with them, I was never allowed to get rid of anything. My mother wouldn't let me sell or donate any clothing, even if it didn't fit. I might lose weight and be able to wear it. It didn't matter if it was totally out of style. If I'd weed out collections, she stick it in a box in case I changed my mind. I still have a lot the toys from when I was kid. And I don't really want them. She even made me keep packaging for M's things. Boxes. When I moved I threw away a lot of that stuff because there was no room for it.
Being able to finally get rid of some of this junk is such a relief.
I also noticed that I soothed a lot of my depression by spending money, buying myself treats. I have bought a lot of things, but they've been things for home, things I needed, not useless things like clothes, jewelry, books, etc. Not clutter. I bought curtains, things to hang on my living room wall, some pretty candle holders for the table. And kitchen stuff, because when I moved I didn't have a decent skillet or utensils.
My mother claimed she "helped me as much as she could with my move." Unfortunately, I still ended up with very few things that I could actually use.
I'm still working on living a simpler life. I haven't quite succeeded yet, but I don't miss spending a lot of money on new outfits or shoes or books or anything like that. I'd much rather see that money in the bank than on a credit card.
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