I am so sick of stuff. We have so much stuff in our western culture that we rent buildings to put stuff in that won't fit in our houses. There is stuff in the trunk of my car, stuff in the garage, stuff in the crawlspace upstairs. Why are we so consumed with getting more stuff?
- Is it the endless onslaught of public media that makes us think we need every new gadget and widget?
- Is it an effort to keep up with the Jones, or Smiths, or those other neighbors we really don't like very much?
- Is it just covetousness, a longing and desire for having what belongs to someone else.
I think our attitude towards stuff has a lot to do with our values. Do I need stuff to feel important? Am I trying to impress my friends? Everyday I become more convinced that our western values are all messed up. The first time I returned from Africa in 1987, I felt so guilty I wanted to sell all my stuff and help the poor. 23 years later I have more stuff than ever. I have to seriously question how much help I have been to a hungry, poverty-stricken, diseased world, most of whom do not know God.
My pursuit of stuff hasn't made me any happier. It hasn't provided me any more prestige in my community. It certainly hasn't done anything to change the world, feed the hungry, care for the sick, or minister to the Lost. Yea, I am pretty sick of stuff and the way it has twisted my values and warped my perception of how most of the world lives.
Free stuff - ya want any!!!
2 comments:
Yes - I threw out, sold, and donated (mostly donated) a lot of "stuff" last time I moved. Wanted to whittle down to 7' of space on a semi trailer so it would cost less to make the move. 7' x 9' x 10' for one person is still quite a lot of stuff ... 630' cubic feet if I still remember how to do Math. Still ... don't want to get rid of my books, and that was what took the most space.
I agree --invest in people, not stuff.
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