On the Virtue of Minimalism

If I can't make an item for my to-do list related to a thing that I own, then I give away or throw away that thing. This is something I have done for a long time, and here is, if nothing else, a good justification for it:

"'The casting away of things is symbolic, you know. Talismanic. When you cast away things, you're also casting away the self-related others that are symbolically related to those things. You start a cleaning-out process. You begin to empty the vessel.'

"...It's an emptying-out process and also a diminishing of the ego...

"'Now think of yourself as a battery. You really are, you know. Your brain runs on chemically converted electrical current... Everything you think, everything you do, it all has to run off the battery. Like the accessories in a car.'

"'Watching TV, reading books, talking with friends, eating a big dinner. . . all of it runs off the battery. A normal life... [is] like running a car with power windows, power brakes, power seats, all the goodies. But the more goodies you have, the less the battery can charge. True?'

"'Well, what we've done [by casting away things] is to strip off the accessories. We're on charge."

- Stephen King, The Stand p. 1028-1030

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Eliminating what you can go without has its benefits--being a minimalist has its physical as well as spiritual perks.

If I am not going to use something, then I throw it away or give it away. The other thing I like to do is if it is something I am not certain I will use, or if it is something I will only use infrequently, then I will give it away to someone I can borrow it from, someone I know who I'm sure will keep it or someone who never throws away anything.

Here's to recharging!