[at-l] Light weight. Does it end on the trail?

[lwbooher@halifax.com (Leslie Booher)]

I read this thread earlier, actually while I was in computer class, and I've
been pondering it.  Cloistered groups come immediately to mind.  Nuns and
monks take a vow of poverty, in addition to other vows.  No doubt about it,
our possessions own us.  They require a great deal of physical and emotional
energy, whether it's dusting them, keeping them from getting ruined by
weather, or being upset when they do get broken or ruined.  We traumatize
out children saying, "Don't touch that!  It'll break!"  By not having
things, our lives are free of all that.

Our goal is to love people and to use things.  Too many people get those
backwards.  I have far too many things, far too many.  Some of them, like
the beds, are for creature comforts.  But once when I counted, I had 52
sheets and 110 towels.  That's for a family of 5, before they grew up and
moved away.  Most of these things, I have because I can't make the small
everyday decisions that help keep a house neat and simple.  And I buy ever
more books explaining to me how to live a simple life.  They, in turn,
become more of the clutter.

It's a truly excellent question, and one I struggle with every day.  Thank
you to whomever started this thread.

anklebear


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