Less is more

Less is more

"We have enough for our needs but not for our greed" said Mahatma Gandhi and yet the hunter-gatherer within us rationalizes that our need to collect is always a need for securing the future and never our greed.  This survival instinct is so deep-rooted in our genes that call for us to gather and hoard things in anticipation of a catastrophe- a famine, a flood. So here we go shopping and gather things that we may already have and may not even need.

Then comes the problem of storing and sorting this clutter that we have created. We often go through our clothes in cupboards and trunks, kitchen shelves and cabinets, attics and garages and we have that Christopher Colombus moment of discovery on finding something ‘new’ least remembering that this was that ‘must- have’ thing we got from one of those big sales and kept it preserved for ‘the rainy day’. 

For those born in the 60s and 70s, life was not always this way. Shopping was not a daily affair but was restricted only to certain occasions and festivals. We assessed our needs before going out to buy a thing and once it did get home, it got our full attention and care. Passing on things to others in the family and reusing them was the norm. This was true for shoes, clothes, school books, uniforms, stationery, and food too.

There were no bargain sales back them to lure us into buying things more than required 

. The opening up of our economy in 1991 saw the birth of plastic money in India and the influx of affordable Chinese goods which led to a  change in the buying patterns of household which then led to clutter and overstocking. The hunter-gatherer genes coupled with the sheer abundance of items available to possess has proved to be a deadly combination indeed.

Do we realize that there would never actually be a situation that challenges our survival as a race in the near future that can only be addressed by stocking up on those jackets, shoes, linen, purses, face creams, lipsticks,  scarves, value pack drinks & noodles, etc, etc? Do we honestly expect to wake up one day only to hear that a country is in crisis because of not having the right shade of lipstick or the exact design of shoes? 

Hoarding is essentially creating surplus in order to give us a  sense of security. But what security are we seeking here? Survival? Certainly not. Then why do we overbuy?

A few things that can explain this behavior is the fact that we feel secure in possessing things. The more our possessions, the more ‘secure’ we feel. Buying things gives that momentary rush of hormones that makes us happy. We have all heard about ‘retail therapy’ that gives us that fleeting rush of power. When we have a lot of money, we might buy cars, houses, and jewelry. When the purse strings are tighter, it might be clothes, shoes, and bags. When on a strict budget, we might get that gratification by buying surplus groceries. The feeling of power in possessing is identical in each case.

Another reason for this compulsive hoarding is also the constant stream of advertisements that we are bombarded with trying to sell us products we don’t even want. 

Possessing things for  snob appeal is another reasons for buying . We want to show  our status and wealth with our possessions Let us not shy away from accepting that we do judge people based on their fancy cars, watches and latest phones. This is immediately followed by a comparison that makes us feel less than. Then we want to possess something only because the other person possesses it.

 

Many a time, we buy things to compensate for other inadequacies and try to find happiness, confidence, and satisfaction in these things that promise to give us this through their branding and advertisements.  We don’t just buy the product but everything else it stands for.

So whatever the reason may be, ultimately we end up buying and hoarding and soon start falling short of space and unnecessarily complicate things for ourselves. 

One may ask what's wrong with clutter? Isn't it a good  and powerful feeling. The answer is a big NO. Never can clutter and excesses be of any use to anyone.

Mother Nature too has her way of decluttering! Trees can bear hundreds of flowers but its fruits are fewer and even these drop off  finally ripening only the   healthiest with seeds fit for future germination.  See the birds laying eggs or the dogs giving birth to a big litter. Not all these eggs hatch and not all the pups survive.

Excess are a waste

If one can't use a thing to its best utility or worse, can't find the thing when we really needed to use it, how justified you buying it really is? Remember  how each of us feel when we open the trunks to pack  during  transfers. We swear not to shop anymore and reduce things  yet, it’s hard to detach  and things  travel with us once again unused and untouched waiting for a" rainy day"

Minimalistic living is now the call from the West. They are talking about living a lifestyle led by our parents and grandparents . So here we come back a full circle where we Indians have just started enjoying the American lifestyle of hoarding surplus and the idea of use and throw making us feel rich and modern while our Western counterparts have begun toying with the idea of living simply with minimalistic possessions. Do we really want to wait for this circle to complete  before we question our choices today and take the necessary steps to reduce our consumption and wasteful behavior?

Minimalist living ihas two aspects firstly  declutter things you posses and  secondly to curb  buying and possesing more. 

 Try sticking to a well planned shopping list and refrain from unnecessary buying temptations. We would realize that most of our purchases are impulses adding no  value to our lives and the momentary high they gave us too, fades quickly.

For the things already hoarded, they can be parted away as gifts and donations. If you haven't needed a thing for 2 years, be rest assured that the rainy day for this thing won’t come in the future either and you should part with it without a second thought Believers of Feng shui say that clutter blocks energy.

For our hunter-gatherer genes, rather than collecting ‘things’ on discounts and bargain sales, collect memories, experiences, and knowledge which will make us more secure and richer. Make wise investments and save money for a comfortable old age.

As we declutter our homes and lives and live minimally, we will finally be free to look beyond our immediate surroundings because one cannot reach for something new if our hands are full of yesterday's junk.