Maybe Gandhiji is to blame for all the clutter of this world. Gandhiji was a staunch believer in reducing waste. He believed that one needs to preserve every little resource one has, lest it becomes useful some day. This seems to have seriously influenced whole generations of people in India. Anything and everything needs to be preserved, started from the plastic carry bag to the pen that no longer writes.
Over a period of time, the house accumulates so many things, and along with them, a who lot of sentiments and memories. Am I the unsentimental type? Not at all. I am totally emotional. I see my daughter's first day on her bicycle when I see that tiny red shorts she wore that day. Yes, I still have them :) Or that first key chain I used with my first car's key. Yes, I still have that too :) Oh so special. I don't think I would ever be able to let go of things like this. They transport me to memories that are so fresh and strong.
So is that clutter too? Not in a million years. Those are treasures. So my rule of thumb to make sure I don't accumulate clutter is this. Keep those things that make me feel special and don't come by everyday, and get rid of things that I can get a dozen of for a dime.
I use the same yardstick to clear the clutter in my head as well. There's so much clutter all of us carry in our heads, which is far more harmful. Harboring them takes up all the energy, consciousness and vigor. We need to learn to keep the sweet memories, useful streams of thoughts and some important facts stored safely in our head. The negatives, the stuff we can pick up so easily from so many stimuli around us, like jealousies, insecurities, anger, hurt and the rest of the heavyweight junk in our head, we need to be as fast as a bullet in getting rid of those.
This does call for some practice and conscious conditioning to start with. But once we get the hang of it, it becomes second nature. This is true liberation!
A clear head and a clean home. OMG. Just saying that puts me at complete peace. :)
Om Shanti Om.
Over a period of time, the house accumulates so many things, and along with them, a who lot of sentiments and memories. Am I the unsentimental type? Not at all. I am totally emotional. I see my daughter's first day on her bicycle when I see that tiny red shorts she wore that day. Yes, I still have them :) Or that first key chain I used with my first car's key. Yes, I still have that too :) Oh so special. I don't think I would ever be able to let go of things like this. They transport me to memories that are so fresh and strong.
So is that clutter too? Not in a million years. Those are treasures. So my rule of thumb to make sure I don't accumulate clutter is this. Keep those things that make me feel special and don't come by everyday, and get rid of things that I can get a dozen of for a dime.
I use the same yardstick to clear the clutter in my head as well. There's so much clutter all of us carry in our heads, which is far more harmful. Harboring them takes up all the energy, consciousness and vigor. We need to learn to keep the sweet memories, useful streams of thoughts and some important facts stored safely in our head. The negatives, the stuff we can pick up so easily from so many stimuli around us, like jealousies, insecurities, anger, hurt and the rest of the heavyweight junk in our head, we need to be as fast as a bullet in getting rid of those.
This does call for some practice and conscious conditioning to start with. But once we get the hang of it, it becomes second nature. This is true liberation!
A clear head and a clean home. OMG. Just saying that puts me at complete peace. :)
Om Shanti Om.
No comments:
Post a Comment