It’s obvious that we have too much stuff. Stuff oozes from every nook and cranny of our homes, our offices, our dumpsters, our recycling bins. We especially love packaging. It’s practically half of the experience. Packaging has the unsavory job of attracting you strongly enough to purchase what’s inside only to be itself discarded. So remember, our stuff comes in stuff, meaning almost everything you buy is actually two things. At least.
Which is interesting to consider when we make that an allegory to the inside as well as the out. What stuff could you get rid of? What literal emotional pollution are you holding onto? What trauma still haunts you? What breakups, breakdowns, failures or disappointments still whisper at you to shy away from excessive joy because happiness is untrustworthy? How’s that going for you?
First you need to know what stuff you have. And that is the crux of the matter. We rarely know how much we carry along with us. We have gotten used to the weight on our heart. The feeling of being wounded. The odd comfort level we have with our distrust. All so we don’t have to deal with it. Counseling is a good idea, by the way. Notice your resistance and act in spite of it.
In the meantime, whether in counseling to face the historical or not, think about tomorrow conceptually rather than linearly. Meaning don’t assume that counseling is the first or only step to understanding oneself and the baggage we carry. Thinking in linear terms means that we feel we can control the outcome by adhering to a checklist we tick off one item at a time. Conceptual thinking about a problem recognizes that there are many pathways up the mountain, we should choose several at once, all require the correct frame of mind.
The problem with recycling is that it is still in the “intention” phase. We are trying to get ourselves to change our habits and better serve the earth for our own sakes. For decades we have been struggling to do this. Is it working? Probably. Possibly. But what I’m really wondering is: Might our intention to cope with our ever-growing pile of stuff be the ultimate reason the real solution, the real coping skill will eventually manifest? The real solution will probably look very different to our current recycling methods.
Might our intention-to-solve be the strongest component toward achieving any solution? I think this is perhaps where failure contributes. Failures occur while trying to live up to an intention. They refine it. They gently strike into the metal a more even gleam. Failure improves the quality of our intentions. But there’s packaging which comes with that. Baggage. What has become of it? What still pollutes your thoughts? Have you kept the things you have learned from failure but not properly disposed of the packaging? That’s the activity of trauma. And it’s holding you back.
Sometimes, when we have a problem it’s best to step away a bit and look at it from another angle. That’s an act which allows for conceptual thinking. Out of the line of fire from trauma. What don’t we see because we are too stuck in our lists? What problems, both inner and outer, bait and trouble us because we aren’t recognizing that it’s our intention which drives the ship?
If you can make a leap of faith, trust the non-linear path and power of intent. What do you intend to happen? What is your intention in any given situation? Have you stated it to yourself? There’s a reason verbal affirmation is encouraged by religion. Take the hint. Speak your intention aloud to yourself. Speak it regularly and wonder what the implications of that intention will be. What will you begin to notice around you? What will you be on the enhanced look out for now that you know what you intend?
This is the key to our baggage. The leftover packaging. We must first intend to recognize it. The key to our society’s addiction to stuff is first intending to unlock it. And then we must be patient and steadfast while the intention germinates. While the solution develops within the rarified atmosphere of our desire for it. We must be accepting of failure and grateful for what it shows us. We must continue to press the button and remain faithful that our actions are the equivalent of prayer. They utilize the same mechanism and speak to the same Source, whatever that may be.
While you engage with the Whirlwind, do something small. Simple physical acts which represent the bigger, lesser-understood picture of your intention to get rid of stuff. Recycle. Clean out the attic. Get a reusable water bottle. Hang up your coat. Demonstrate your intention in simple, meaningful ways. Ways that may not appear to make a difference. That’s not the point at all. It won’t save the world, or you, in the way you think. It will be much better.
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