We are part of a world that tells us we need stuff.
We need to be the fastest, best, most cool, up-to-date and happy. Without stuff our lives are sure to be more difficult, frustratingly slow and ultimately less meaningful.
We are the generation of fast fashion, fast food and fast broadband. We have been convinced by a society that buys a t-shirt one day and throws it to the bottom of our wardrobe the next month because we’ve got a cooler one. We have unintentionally conformed to the pattern of consumerism and with it, wastefulness.
The truth of it is: our appetite for stuff is insatiable and we will always feel ‘hungry’ if we continue to believe what we see around us from the big corporations and even, from our mates. What if we really believed that true happiness, kingdom building happiness comes from a rhythm of contentment?
If we’re honest with ourselves, the reason we don’t like talking about this, is because we don’t actually believe that life would be better. We don’t really believe that life would be better without those new clothes every month. We’re not convinced that having less stuff makes life more fulfilling. Is there really freedom on the other side?
A couple of mates decided to try and nurture a right relationship with their stuff, a right attitude toward things in their lives and as a result chose not to buy clothes unless they actually needed them. This was inspiring to watch as it helped them re-address their perspective on need, it helped them to value their stuff well, and it helped them to understand the worth of their wardrobe and the joy in buying something new because they need it, rather than because it might make them happier.
In doing this, they redefined their understanding of contentment, living differently and the idea of waste not - want not.
Are you prepared to risk it and find out for yourself if there truly is freedom on the other side, freedom that results in a right relationship with stuff and the planet? Why not start small. Start by looking around your room and giving thanks for all the stuff you have and perhaps donating your old stuff to a local charity shop.
If you want to change the world, you need to become the kind of person that changes the world. There is freedom on the other side.
