Why Bother?
Just read “Why Bother?”, an article from the NYT, and while it’s about making an effort to be green and being conscious of the environment and our impact on it, I think some of the ideas can be applied to living with less clutter as well.
Our culture has so many expectations for us, and it can be challenging to stand up to them. When I sold my car a few months ago, there were quite a few people who thought it was a dumb idea, they couldn’t see the point of it. But since I got rid of it, I’ve driven a car three times, and only for 5 minutes in the past two months. I don’t need it to function, I don’t need it to see my friends, I don’t need it to live my life. I know a several people who could get by without a car with just a little more effort or allowing a little more time to take a bus, a cab, or even getting HourCar for the afternoon or a rental car for the weekend.
I haven’t talked about it a lot here, but I’ve been trying to eat locally, avoid eating meat (3 weeks without meat now), and waste less. I’m still far from perfect, and I know I’ll never get there. But I can make the effort to make less of an impact, and if I can at all inspire others around me to do the same, then I’ve done something to change the world. It might be tiny, but that doesn’t matter. As Gandhi said, “Whatever you do will be insignificant, but it is very important that you do it.”
NYT Article found via What I Learned Today