Disposal

By the time I leave for China (less than 3 weeks!), I will have practically no possessions. I don't know what to say about monastic existence, except to note that I have fantasized about it quite a bit. After all, it's easy to say "less is more", but to live it? That's a real challenge. I started learning the skill of living with less when I was a teenager. I lived with my mom and sister in a small apartment, and space was at a premium. It was a choice between having a cluttered, cramped home, or having to throw stuff away. So I got used to getting rid of things.

I'm getting rid of a lot of junk right now. Last year when I went to Costa Rica I rented out a storage unit, just so I would have one less thing to worry about. Now I'm throwing out everything.

Okay, I am exaggerating a little. There are still a few things I can't part with. Philosophy books, margins crammed with notes; old records of Led Zeppelin and Creedence Clearwater; a bookcase I built with my father when I was a child. All told, aside from the bookcase I have maybe 10 boxes. Can you imagine fitting everything that you own in 10 boxes? It is almost unthinkable.

I wish I could literally live out of a suitcase. But, in all practicality, that's what I will be doing. After all, those ten boxes aren't coming with me - and I don't really even need them. I just like them. All that's coming with me is two suitcases, a backpack and a gym bag. There are others who live with even less, but for me this is an achievement. The road to minimalism is long and arduous, but the goal is quite simple: self-sufficiency, self-reliance, independence.

But while you're on that road, just make sure not to get caught throwing your junk away into someone else's dumpster. People get real moody about that.