once again, i read a wonderful article yesterday about a couple who decided to wean themselves from most of their material possessions after having realized that they weren't taking much satisfaction and happiness from these. i'm finding more and more of these stories during these times. i especially enjoyed the one about people living in ridiculously small but adorable houses.
these days, we work our asses off just so we can afford that next new thing--whether it's yet another hi-tech gadget that you don't even really need, an incredibly wonderful pair of shoes that would just get ruined in the rain anyway, or even a lavish trip (which, more often than not, is wholly aimed at gaining extra bragging points on Facebook). we're trying to plug this emptiness in our lives with as many possessions as we can. but it ain't the right fix, so that giant hole is never truly covered and we end up wanting and wanting, buying and buying, trying to hide and camouflage all the things that are wrong in our lives.
they say that the consumers are wisening up, learning to really plan their purchases, discerning which ones will give them more value--not just in terms of money, but also in terms of the experiences they will gain through the purchases being made and the relationships being formed. i say, this is still a tiny percentage of the population. maybe it's because the financial meltdown hasn't made that much of a difference in our lives here in the Philippines (we were already messed up even before the 2008 recession). maybe the problem needs a greater intervention. i don't know. i'm neither well-read in Psychology nor in Economics.
well, as you all know, i have my Project 365, right? and the very existence of this blog is based on the belief that there are more important things in life than money; that you can be happy with less; that money should be used to bring joy and goodness to this earth and its inhabitants, rather than destroy it. i'm really grateful for having read this article at a time when i'm itching to buy yet another pair of shoes (100 days down, 265 days to go) because it reaffirms my convictions. even if it is hard to control the flight of the plastic card, i know it'll pay off in the long run.
this weekend, i will start sorting my clothes and shoes and bags yet again. i'll be donating them to a friend's garage sale, the proceeds of which will be used to pay for the expenses incurred due to her dad's funeral. my under-used and under-appreciated belongings will be better off there, helping a family get back on its feet after the death of its patriarch. i plan on slowly cleaning out my wardrobe until i have 100 or less items in it (excluding underwear though). maybe i could organize a garage sale on September too, to get rid of all the stuff we have in our aunt's store. we'll use the proceeds for our room's renovation :) or a really good cause--maybe sustainable education or livelihood, a library, or even an arts program for the youth--which i have yet to find (please help me with this one, if you can).
it all comes down to this: will it make you truly happy?
**on a side note (totally unrelated), i saw a female driving a motorbike today. she had a scarf under her helmet, probably to keep her hair nice, and she was wearing 4-inch heels!!! gawd! how did she do it? no idea. but it got me thinking, if i can't buy a car, would i rather continue commuting or get a motorbike instead (provided that i knew how to ride one--i can't even ride a bike)?? what would you choose?
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