When I was in elementary school, I had a box containing around 300 gift cards. None of these gift cards ever had any money on them. I would simply walk into a store, go up to the cash register, smile sweetly and take whatever cards caught my eye. The cashiers never seemed to mind, and either gave me a puzzled look or a kind smile. The gift cards were 3D, textured, sparkly, and translucent - you name it they made it. At that age I was enthralled with the idea of possessing all of these beautiful slivers of plastic. There was an infinite amount to collect, and every time I added a new one to my box, I felt accomplished.
Fast forward to middle school/high school and I was now into vintage cameras. Along the whole rim of my bedroom wall I had a collection of old cameras. I would wander into any thrift store I would come across, and pick up the oldest camera I could find, and it would then sit on my shelf, never to be touched again. It might have been more useful and special if I had bothered to see if any of them actually worked, but I liked them better sitting on my shelf as tokens that what I thought represented my old artistic soul.
Throughout the rest of my adolescence, there were various other small collections that I would find myself indulging in; baseball caps, headbands, rocks, postcards, pins, patches, stickers... you name it. There came a point, probably sometime in college, when I fell into a rabbit hole watching different videos on minimalism, then I started to read various books on Buddhism and Stoicism. Lots of these ideas, religions, and philosophies mention reducing the clutter internally and externally, and how oftentimes these both go hand in hand, one leading to the other and vice versa.
“It is not the man who has too little, but the man who craves more, that is poor.”
– Seneca
Something seemed to click in me, and I started to try and limit the "stuff" in my life, and not fall into the consumeristic entrapments of society. Doing this, I felt more at peace and able to connect more with the important things in life such as having meaningful experience with people and the environment.
Our capitalistic society allows for the creativity and emergence of many independent and unique brands, but it is also dominated by companies whose main goal is pumping out as much product as they can for the lowest price. This low price can have a high cost on the environment and the people who make these products.
Fast Fashion
While reading about minimalism, I stumbled upon the industry of fast fashion. I discussed this more in a previous blog - Fast fashion can be described as fashion items that are produced at very quick speeds, following the changing trends, in large quantities and at a cheap price. Because there is not a lot of consideration for aspects such as quality and longevity, many of these clothes do not last long in a person's closet, which is perfect for the industry's changing fashion trends. A lot of these fast fashion brands outsource their labor to developing countries where they know they can get cheap labor. Many of these workers do not have the same labor protection laws as workers from other countries. Companies cut corners in worker safety involving the danger of machinery, harmful dyes and other chemicals used in production, long work hours, and more. Many of these companies do not take the steps to protect the planet in their mass production of product. Realizing this harsh truth behind the fashion industry made me want to stop giving my money to companies that exploit their workers, and the planet. Instead, I try to buy from sustainable brands. For more information on fast fashion and affordable, ethical, and eco-friendly fashion, check out my other blog post and this documentary.
“The secret of happiness, you see, is not found in seeking more, but in developing the capacity to enjoy less.”
– Socrates
Why do we feel the need to collect?
This is an interesting question, and one that I believe could have many different answers. I'm of the opinion that our consumerism has a duality to it. On one side, humans are opportunists, scavengers, and gatherers by nature - as much as we would like to think of ourselves as apex predators. Finding an early homosapien hunched over collecting berries for hours or eating the old meat off of an animal carcass would not be an uncommon sight. We often would not know when we would find more food, or a better shelter, so we coveted what we did have and find. Perhaps these early instincts play out unnecessarily in our current society of relative surplus compared to what our ancestors experienced. Maybe we feel the need to collect more and more because this abundance is overwhelming to our scavenger nature. Or perhaps it is due to our tribalistic nature that includes power dynamics and the fight for status, which many other animals also experience. In our minds, the objects that we purchase could contribute to a raised status in society. Maybe we collect to fill a void that could be a lack of love that is instilled in us since our early childhood.
Maybe it is due to self expression. Our communities have become more and more separated as time has gone by. Especially in the western world (North America in particular), children often no longer live with their families for long periods of time. In many countries such as Mexico, Italy, and Greece (just to name a few), it is quite common to see children live with their parents until they are married - It's actually celebrated and preferred for many. In the western world, people often spread out and live very individualistic lives, oftentimes not really laying down deep roots in any one place. Even when roots are laid down in a place, many people do not even know their neighbors first names. (This varies with each region). With these distant lives, it can be hard to express oneself because of the lack of connection. Perhaps one's material possessions are a form of expression in a society where people may feel lost.
With the collection of material possessions, one can think they are reaffirming their identity in society to themselves and others, nonverbally. Fashion is a big statement. I see a lot of older women wearing bright flamboyant clothes, and it almost seems like they are saying, "Hello, look at me, I am older but I am still here and still sexy and beautiful." I sometimes see some adolescents with piercings all over their body, and a T-shirt that makes a statement. For them, they could be expressing themselves in a world where they feel largely ignored or oppressed. Of course everyone has their own reasons for wearing what they do, reasons that the observer can only speculate on. Perhaps a person decorates their lawn with hundreds of garden gnomes. Maybe this is a cry for help, or maybe they are just trying to express themselves in their own way. Old or young, people want to express themselves in any way they can, and oftentimes physical expression through material possessions seems like a straightforward route.
What I mean to get at is that there are a multitude of reasons why people buy items. It varies based on culture, upbringing, and the person themselves. The satisfying thing is that even though people may have different reasons for collecting, the solution can be pretty universal.
"Having nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful."
– William Morris
The feelings we attach to objects
There are some objects that will bring up emotions that we can't really help. Maybe we have a relic from a deceased loved one, a piece of jewelry from a loved one, or a trinket from an amazing adventure. Those objects that have intense meaning to us may be worth holding on to. There are other objects that we can attach superficial feelings to that keep us holding onto them and buying more of them. There could be a pair of shorts that we saw a model wearing and there are feelings of want and jealously attached to them. Perhaps there is a magnet from a national park that sparks a feeling of pride and more want.
Working for the National Park Service, I witnessed countless people come into the visitor center and purchase magnets, stickers, patches, pins, and stamp their books without even entering the park. There seemed to be a sense of relief combined with a tenseness (if that's even possible) once they had their new item. At this point, the object seemed to be less of a tender reminder of their experience (they did not enter the park), it was more of a token that helped them fulfill their identity of being a traveler. Of course I can't pretend to know everyone's true intentions, so this is just my take and frankly probably a generalization. Perhaps people feel rushed by time constraints and want to see everything, however is a stamp really seeing? Collections could be attached to feelings of pride and accomplishment, even if there are no real memories actually linked to the object itself. Objects should bring joy and meaning to one's life, anything other than that is just wasted space and clutter that can impact one's mental health as well.
Separating yourself emotionally from your objects
We have the power to view a magnet as just a magnet, no strings attached. I sold all of my old cameras because I realized that they were doing nothing for me. I saw them as what they were, a bunch of metal and glass that I have never even used. What good were they doing for me? What real meaning do they bring to my life? None, and none. All they were doing was taking up space and acting as an artificial extension of my desired image that I wanted to portray to myself and the world.
When you go to a gift shop, be practical. "Did I have an amazing experience at this place that can only be remembered by a T-shirt, pin, or snow globe? Do I need another one of these in my life? Do I even like the icon on this T-shirt enough to wear it in my everyday life? Does this object make me well up with emotion when I look at it, or have any real meaning?" I find that 9 times out of 10, I find myself saying no to all of these questions. I feel more free financially and mentally when I leave a place empty-handed, but not at all empty of memories. I still do collect, but in different ways. I have found alternative collections to the material ones. I have found collections that you can't buy at a gift shop.
“As you simplify your life, the laws of the universe will be simpler; solitude will not be solitude, poverty will not be poverty, nor weakness weakness.”
– Henry David Thoreau
Journal your memories
The largest collection I now have are within the pages of my journal. I like traveling light, and a journal is way lighter than a bazillion snow globes. I find it so much more fulfilling looking back on the journal entries I wrote on a trip than a manufactured gift shop item. Journaling is a way that you can document specific moments of your experience to make sure that you never lose them. It's impossible to fall into a consumeristic trap by journaling, the most that will happen is that you fill up 30 pages documenting an adventure.
Take photographs
This may seem pretty obvious, but again it's a great way of documenting moments through your own eyes. Many gift shops sell postcards of images of the location, but I think that a candid snapshot of yourself or a loved one actually experiencing the place will be much more fulfilling when looking back. There are some concerns with overdoing taking pictures and forgetting to look up from the camera, but that is a topic for another blog. So take some pictures and create memories!
"Minimalism isn't about removing things you love. It's about removing the things that distract you from the things you love"
– Joshua Becker
Reducing consumerism and collections is a lifelong challenge, especially when living in places where shopping is very accessible, or even having access to the internet which is full of millions of websites advertising the next best thing. Don't feel too down if it is difficult to downsize your possessions and stop yourself from collecting more - It is a process that is constantly challenged by expert marketing that literally preys on your natural primal feelings of desire, want, and lacking. The key is to constantly keep yourself accountable by being aware and present with every purchase you make. Maybe that means writing down your purchases. Another key is surrounding yourself less with the marketing of consumerism and more with content that mirrors what you want to be or what you are trying to maintain. This means unsubscribing from all those stores that flood your inbox, or skipping the gift shop and instead venturing out into the location. This also means adjusting your stimuli (people, media, texts, places) that support your goal of being happy with less, (which actually turns out to be more).
I am still a work in progress, as one can conclude from my current sticker obsession. However, I try and remind myself every day about the ideas surrounding minimalism, while being a conscious consumer. No one will be perfect at being kind to ourselves and others while being eco-friendly, but we can sure try our best. We have one life - We may as well make it as positive as we can.