Day 8 - Important

Part of the simple living philosophy is to determine what is most important to you and gradually remove things that aren't or those things that interfere with what is important.  The belief is that what is truly important to us is squeezed out by things and events.  Consumerism and over-working are the two biggest culprits.

When I was in graduate school I took a sociology class and we read a book on post modernity and consumerism.  It was fascinating.  The ideas were new and yet familiar to me.  The basic premise is that since World War II when money and products both became more abundant, society has changed in many ways.  In the pursuit of collecting and maintaining things the following have happened:

1.  Most women now work outside of the home

2.  People work longer hours

3.  Isolation has become the norm.  Where once people built and even needed relationships with family and neighbors we have moved to an "independent" frame of mind.  The time it takes to obtain and maintain our "stuff" leaves limited time for others. 

4.  Debt is common

5.  We spend an enormous amount of time collecting (aka shopping) things and then caring for them.  Think of the average house size.  I have a house that was built in 1955 and it was large at the time (2100 sq. ft.)  This house is on the small side now.  Bigger house, more furniture, more to clean, more to worry about, etc.

6.  We eat out more

7.  Our lives involve less activity 

I took this class 8 years ago and I have been mulling these ideas over for a long time.  Yet I keep moving along with the culture.  I don't plan to end up in an off-grid house collecting my urine to fertilize my garden, but I do want to make some changes that bring me closer to what is truly important in my life.