Living Simply and Soulfully

I read about Dave Bruno's 100 Thing Challenge today and was truly inspired and grateful that there are other mindful people out there who are cognizant of their footprint. Do we really need all this stuff? Piles and piles of clothes and books and CDs and DVDs and furniture and shoes and electronic gadgets and papers and and and I cannot breathe just thinking about all of the crap that I STILL have. And I am one of those people that gives stuff away and recycles unused items all of the time. I don't like clutter. Part of it comes from my drive to live as simply as I can for the sake of the planet, and the other part is me not wanting to be a pack rat like certain members of my family whom I love (my mom) but who saves everything imaginable.

Have you ever wondered why we have the drive to accumulate so much stuff? Have you ever wondered where all the stuff comes from, and where it goes when you tire of it and throw it out? Well, check out The Story of Stuff with Annie Leonard. She researched this subject for over ten years. It is very illuminating.

While we are questioning the accumulation of stuff, have you ever wondered how much simpler your life could be without all of the stuff to complicate it? You could have a smaller apartment/house, and possibly have no credit card bills, and you could work less hours or ditch that second job or get that dream job you have always wanted but that did not pay much. And you could be happy because you actually had time for family and friends. And people would become human again and care more about people than things. People would love instead of covet. People would give instead of hoard. People could find their souls again.

Something has got to change. We need to find a better way to live. There is so much suffering in the world, and the Earth is being ripped apart for her natural resources with no regard to the long-term consequences, and I just don't see how the human race can continue down this path. We are on the road to self-destruction. We need to find our souls if we are going to have a chance of coming back from the brink.