Simplicity vs Consumerism

The issue about simple living re-appeared weeks ago, expressed as cluster headache which was mediated by temporary stress et causa packing-panic  ;-)

I kept wondering how on earth my belongings could multiply massively just within two years. I still remember I came to Japan accompanied by only one travel bag and one cabin bag. They contained mostly clothes and books, and some other important stuff. That’s it. And one of the reasons was because I always heard people saying that rooms in Tokyo were always way too small.

I was very lucky however to have gotten a room in Tokyo International Exchange Center; in huge size by Tokyo standard; fully furnished; with my own kitchen, bathroom, and laundry! I even felt that my room was too spacious and didn’t like it at first. Coming home from school to a big empty room was not my favorite time of the day at all. And so I started filling my room with things to create comfort. Of course it was started with necessary things, but then followed by secondary or tertiary things like sofa and carpet ;D

Over time, things accumulated. Why settle on one pair of shoes if you can have four? Why stick on the same jacket if you can be fashionable in five different designs? And oh, the nice bag from so and so brand is on sale, why not get it when you can? And wow, the bag look really cute matched with this and that dresses, how about getting them as well? :DD

At the end of my stay, I had a hard time parting with my possessions. Tags with the word “Impossible” written on it popping up often when I was choosing what to bring home. Well, impossible unless I was willing to pay high for the delivery service. And so I had to give away things, or simply throw them away. The first option was easier, but the second one was not that simple. In Japan there was this regulation that requires us to pay when we want to throw big-sized garbage. The regulation forces people to think carefully before throwing away things. And should have forced me to think carefully before deciding to posses them..

Even though I was stricken because of the regulation, but I was awestruck at the same time. I thought that this regulation was really cool. People would form a series of good habits out of it. People would think carefully what to buy in terms of necessity and would learn to be careful in maintaining what they’ve bought. It will have broader implication on many other things. Consideration about the environment would be one of them.

And it also reminded me of the concept of simplicity I learned few years back when I joined a community that encourages it as part of life's discipline. Our lives are often cluttered, busy, and overwhelmed. We long to find peace but it feels so difficult to slow down and have a balanced life. With simplicity we are encouraged to take back our lives one day at a time. And simplicity involves simplifying our environment, time, relationship, thinking, possessions, emotions, body, and finances.

Looking back now, it seems like I haven’t been able to integrate it in my life. Sigh..