|
it is possible to collect items of no real value, for reasons best known to the collector, i'm thinking of those guys who collect say old commodore 64s
i may not understand what they do, but there is a purpose and a hobby to it, no different than me collecting gemstones, although i may be snooty and point out that gemstones are of more value and take of less space...at the end of the day, i'm not gonna sell them (except to upgrade my collection and buy a better gemstone) so it's the same thing...a collection i make for personal enjoyment that won't except by chance financially benefit me
people HOARD out of fear, because they are afraid of lack, hence the storage of worthless glass jars or out dated cell phones or whatever random pieces of crap -- they fear being so poor that they need to go back to their personal landfill, as it were
to me that's the essential difference
whenever the clutter gets too outrageous, i sell some items, the day i'm afraid to sell any items and i start making excuses for why i can't sell (or why i can't get on freecycle and earn good karma by giving away) some items is the day i should know i'm acting out of fear instead of out of appreciation for the beauties and possibility of the items ' test yourself
CAN you give something away? CAN you sell something? CAN you toss something? CAN you donate something? (donate to an organization as opposed to give to a friend) If you can do all 4 of these, then you're gonna be OK
for my collection, since my house is small, i have a rule that i don't add an item to my collection without selling 2 items, this helps the collecting hobby support itself, means my collection grows more valuable over time, and keeps me from being overloaded with crap
one year, when i was really pressed, i made the rule -- NO NEW ITEMS UNLESS I SOLD 5 ITEMS, it worked very well to keep down the clutter
try it, you'll like it
i'll never be a neat bare bones minimalist but i won't be using rock climbing equipment to get over my crap either
i've been told "your house is like a museum" which i think is flattering
collect unashamed, just don't HOARD out of fear
there is nothing wrong w. enjoying the beautiful or the interesting (collecting), there is a lot wrong w. letting fear of the future fill your home w. garbage
|