Poor Andie probably dreams about her annoying mother extolling the virtues of purging. I'm like a broken record when it comes to accumulation of things. My mantra is the antithesis of the Nike slogan, or, Just DON'T Do It! Alas, it's admittedly easier to tell someone else to avoid material gluttony. I'm never as good at following my own advice as I am at giving it out.
But I was delighted to listen to a BYU Devotional that made ownership of things sound so exhausting, it kept me from purchasing much all week long.
The following admonition from BYU professor, Shawn Miller, might be helpful to put on a 3X5 card in my wallet. Reading a reminder about the hassles of stuff before I buy trinkets or doo-dads could save me lots of money. See if you have the same reaction:
"Stuff beyond our basic needs does not liberate. Consider the overall investment of your time. You have to shop for stuff. You have to clean, maintain, and organize stuff. You lose stuff. You look for stuff.
You polish stuff, secure it against theft, trip over it, recharge it, upgrade it, accessorize it, pack it, move it, unpack it, insure it, fix it, and eventually sell, trash, or bequeath it.
Stuff has no use beyond this life, and it takes a lot from us.
Very much unlike stuff, knowledge does not depreciate but grows deeper, stronger, and more valuable with each use. Unlike stuff, knowledge has neither mass nor volume and does not take up any space outside the bounds of our cranium.
Unlike in the accumulation of stuff, in getting knowledge you will never have to build a 3-car garage on the side of your head. Your mind has no upper limit of mega-, giga-, or terabytes.
Also, unlike stuff, know can be given to others without diminishing our stock. In fact, sharing knowledge tends to better burnish it in the giver's mind.
Best of all, knowledge you can take with you. What you learn, unlike what you buy, will pass with you from this life to the next." -Shawn Miller, from a BYU devotional given in August, 2010
