ABOUT STUFF

I have always loved George Carlin and his comedic rants. However the best one by far was when he illuminated us all about stuff,  several decades ago.

A house is just a place to keep your stuff while you go out and get more stuff....A house is just a pile of stuff with a cover on it....Sometimes you gotta move, gotta get a bigger house. Why? No room for your stuff anymore.

If you think about it, most of our activities are geared towards getting more "stuff" or better "stuff." And since the '80's it has become even more so. But how much of life are you enjoying during your push to get this "stuff?" 

And have you noticed how many new self-storage buildings are popping up around in all cities? A whole industry has spawned and grown exponentially because of our need to keep our stuff.

In the last few years I have downsized the size of my abode and as such have gotten rid of a lot of stuff. And if you think it was easy for me, think again....it wasn't, because there is something that makes you think that you are successful and have "made it" because of your stuff. But I got over it, sold a lot and donated more. And although I still have a reasonable amount of stuff, I think comparative to many of my friends, I am pretty lean on the stuff front. 

When my father passed away just over a year ago, you come to realize how little stuff means. My parents had already downsized a couple of years before and there was about 50 years of stuff that needed to be sorted through. A lot of it, unfortunately, was either given away, sold or trashed, because there was no room for most of it in their new accommodations and it was not something of which any member of the family had a desired. But my parents legacy and hopefully yours is not about your stuff.

How many necessary decisions in your life are you putting off because of your love affair with your stuff. Are you staying in an untenable situation, say in a job, because you are afraid of how you are going to continue to afford the stuff you have and how you are going to then go out and get more stuff?

Or would you be happier, and less burdened if you made the decisions you need to make, without concerns about the stuff? Ask yourself,  what choices would you make today, if you didn't have to concern yourself about the stuff.

I know that you can't totally disengage from stuff. I don't live in a cardboard box under the expressway, I do like my stuff, and I do have some nice stuff. But if I had to give up a whole bunch of my stuff tomorrow, to lead a more happy and fulfilled life I would. Luckily at this point I don't have to because I like my life.

As George Carlin said Trying to be happy by accumulating possessions is like trying to satisfy hunger by taping sandwiches all over your body.

So take a critical look at how you are living, because of your stuff! You might be surprised at what you see!

(You can read the transcript of George Carlin's rant at Babyboomer Flashback or see it on YouTube at George Carlin talks about stuff)

(Note :George Carlin passed away in 2008)