life in a travel bag
The recent Ketsana tragedy really drives home one important lesson: That everything is temporary. Believing in absolute security will only break your heart, if not kill you.
Perhaps the most emotionally wrecked people post-tragedy are those with strong attachment to things – to their homes, to their furniture, to old photographs. These are people who have defined themselves by the things they have.
I used to be like that, but now I know better.
Everyday, people's lives are turned upside down by unexpected tragedies, illnesses and other serious circumstances beyond control. It takes experience to understand the effects of such situations; there’s no way of comprehending the reality of sudden life changes until they actually happen to you.
I certainly don't pretend to be a guru of these things, but I have learned some lessons along the way, and one of them is this:
Security is a sham. The capitalist notions of collateral and planning never work out, no matter how disciplined you are. Everything that can go wrong will go wrong.
So how can you cope? Keep things simple. By simplifying, you cut your potential losses should your house be ravaged by fire, earthquake, flooding, or any other situation that causes you to lose it.
Best of all, a simpler life is easier to rebuild.
Read if you want to start:
30 Ways to Make Your Life Simple
****
Achieving lightness and simplicity is an ongoing struggle. It really is. There are days when I wake up just WANTING to BUY MAJOR THINGS for no particular reason. I want to buy another property. I want another car. I want a bigger office. Now.
Sigh.
I am still learning to restrain myself - to breathe and really think before I leap. I ask: Will this thing /idea just weigh me down and make it harder to start over should circumstances force me to shift gears?
If it will, then I dismiss it.
However, I still spend serious money on foreign travel. Even though I am now stuff-averse, I still purchase experiences, which often cost more than physical possessions.
Does this make me a materialist?
Perhaps the most emotionally wrecked people post-tragedy are those with strong attachment to things – to their homes, to their furniture, to old photographs. These are people who have defined themselves by the things they have.
I used to be like that, but now I know better.
Everyday, people's lives are turned upside down by unexpected tragedies, illnesses and other serious circumstances beyond control. It takes experience to understand the effects of such situations; there’s no way of comprehending the reality of sudden life changes until they actually happen to you.
I certainly don't pretend to be a guru of these things, but I have learned some lessons along the way, and one of them is this:
Security is a sham. The capitalist notions of collateral and planning never work out, no matter how disciplined you are. Everything that can go wrong will go wrong.
So how can you cope? Keep things simple. By simplifying, you cut your potential losses should your house be ravaged by fire, earthquake, flooding, or any other situation that causes you to lose it.
Best of all, a simpler life is easier to rebuild.
Read if you want to start:
30 Ways to Make Your Life Simple
****
Achieving lightness and simplicity is an ongoing struggle. It really is. There are days when I wake up just WANTING to BUY MAJOR THINGS for no particular reason. I want to buy another property. I want another car. I want a bigger office. Now.
Sigh.
I am still learning to restrain myself - to breathe and really think before I leap. I ask: Will this thing /idea just weigh me down and make it harder to start over should circumstances force me to shift gears?
If it will, then I dismiss it.
However, I still spend serious money on foreign travel. Even though I am now stuff-averse, I still purchase experiences, which often cost more than physical possessions.
Does this make me a materialist?
Labels: life, minimalism, travel
posted by Ingrid C. at 3:46 PM
4 Comments:
In high school, our professor told us that travel is one of life's best curriculum. I agree.
Thanks for sharing the article/blog entry.
~supercow
P.S. I'm maintaining this blog too. I shut down my personal blog in my attempt to clean up my web footprint/s. :)
I rarely splurge on material things, more on travel because experiencing the world is far more exciting and enriching for me than attaching myself to, say, a plasma TV.
supercow> there's this saying (i forgot who said it) that goes something like, "the world is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page."
nomadic> true. i have a plasma TV, though. when i don't have the extra money to travel, i just watch travel shows.
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