Get Your Personal (Possessions) House In Order First

A critique that observers of the 100 Thing Challenge often raise goes something like this, "Shared items are not counted, therefore it's not actually 100 things. There are truer examples of living a simple lifestyle."

That is a valid criticism, though I believe that it is a misunderstanding of the 100 Thing Challenge. So from time-to-time I make a point of re-explaining the 100 Thing Challenge and its purpose. That's what I'm doing in this post.

The goal of the 100 Thing Challenge is to break free from the constraints of what I call "American-style consumerism." This is the kind of consumerism in which we habitually buy things in order to satisfy ourselves. There's a lot more that can be said about this, but the bottom line is that when we participate in American-style consumerism, we ultimately remain dissatisfied.

Supposing that I am caught in the cycle of buying for satisfaction, but staying dissatisfied, and so going out to buy again; what should I do to break free from this hopeless pattern?

My belief is that I have to get my personal house in order first. It must start with my, if you will, repentance and changed behavior. I need to acknowledge that material possessions have too much control over my life, and I need to address the problem by taking aim at the things that are entirely or mostly affecting my life.

If I take aim at a shared possession, I am no longer only addressing my consumerism problem. For example, I might walk into the living room every day and long for new furniture, believing that a remodel will make my life a thousand times more satisfying. My wife might walk into the living room every day and think no such thing. She's not a slave to stuff, and she doesn't think that a remodel will make her life any better. In fact, she's satisfied with the couch and has a healthy desire to buy (within our financial means) another chair so that there's more room to sit down when we are hosting friends. If I squelch the purchase of a new chair and insist on selling the couch, am I really dealing with my problem? I don't think so. I think I'm avoiding my consumerism problem and creating a new conflict to boot.

Of course there are couples who are stuck in stuff together. And perhaps there are examples of couples whose primary consumerism problem is their shared experience of buying things together that they believe will satisfy them together. If that were the case, perhaps a shared challenge would be in order. Perhaps they might decide to first get control over their shared buying habits. They will start by reducing their household things and resisting the urge to buy more household things. And once they are freed from the attachment to household things, then they can evaluate if they are also enslaved to their personal possessions. They can work on that as individuals, if need be. That approach would be totally reasonable for some people.

The goal would remain the same, though. The goal is to break free from the bondage of American-style consumerism. The goal is not to count each thing exactly, such as counting every key on a key chain. The goal is not to live an austere life that does not match the needs of your family and community, such as moving a five-member family into a Tiny House as an act of simplicity. The goal, once again, is to break free from the bondage of American-style consumerism.

The 100 Thing Challenge, with all of its strict rules and loose exceptions, is one way to resist American-style consumerism. If done with the right intentions, I strongly believe that for those who feel stuck in stuff, the 100 Thing Challenge is a catalyst to a much more meaningful life.

Comments

[Ajourneytosimplicity.blogspot.com]

It is hard to begin reducing, but also hard to stop when you start. This past year I moved twice, and after having such difficulty getting someone to move my larger furniture the first time decided to sell it rather than deal with it on the second move. People thought me insane, especially since I haven't replaced most of it, but you know what? We haven't really missed it. My daughter got a smaller bed instead of the big bunk bed she never used and I just sleep on a futon on the floor instead of in the queen-sized canopy bed I used to have.. and since we rarely use the living room, the little rattan loveseat serves the purpose quite well instead of the living room furniture we culled. The television has yet to be missed, cause we watched shows online anyway...

I am hoping personally that I can reduce to 100 items, but I know that it will take a while.. Great blog!

[guynameddave]

Thanks! I completely conquer. Once you start, there's no going back :-)

[mattress]

That is great advice to get your possessions more organized.