Cluttering Your Life With Stuff

[Fidei Defensor]

This is the letter to the editor I wrote to my local newspaper (inspired by St. Josemaria Escriva!):

 

I often find myself wanting to shout at people — “forget all the stuff that ties you down to this Earth! It’s not worth it!”

I speak, of course, of the “stuff” of the material world.

 

We long to find comfort in this life in many places — with friends, in a quiet place in the park. One place we often look in vain, however, is in the material things of this world.

 

We tell ourselves that buying many new things will make us happy — being surrounded by fancy ornaments will bring us comfort.

 

The truth is, however, that material things often shackle our hearts and prevent us from truly connecting with our fellow human beings.

 

Love does not come with a clearance tag. Love consists of honest connections with others — in conversation, in hugs, in a loving look.

 

It’s true that we sometimes feel a sense of accomplishment in buying ourselves a little something and saving some money, but we must strive to remember that we are trying to fill a hole in our hearts that only love of others can fill.

 

Remember the great command — love one another as I have loved you — and keep your life a little less cluttered with material things.

 

http://lacrossetribune.com/news/opinion/jared-berger-don-t-clutter-your-life-with-stuff/article_5a33d91c-432c-51cc-83d0-9721ffc14116.html

Edited May 18, 2014 by tardis ad astra

[John Ryan]

Sometimes it is not that we do not know that material things are empty. I know that buying that new book, getting that new DVD, or finding that new pair of boots will not make me happy. Yet, sometimes we cannot help but continue to enter into the system of consumerism, because we are empty and all we can do is try to fill ourselves up with objects, even though we know it will not work. Why do depressed people drink? Does anybody believe that they can be cured with a glass of vodka? I do not think so. They drink because they cannot do anything else to try to fill up the void. Those of us without satisfying romantic relationships, without a satisfying creative activity, those without love in their lives, have to try to fill up their emptiness. Consumerism is the socially sanctioned method of doing so. 

Edited May 18, 2014 by John Ryan