So I have been watching hoarders on A&E for the past several weeks. This is a series that lets you take a voyeristic view into the lives of troubled people that collect things. They collect food, animals, trash, trinkets from McDonald’s to name just a few. It is incredibly sad to look into these lives of these troubled people. Why they do this varies from individual to individual. Watching this show, for me, is like watching a train wreck. While I cringe as I watch this show, I have think of how I have collected things in the past.
It is amazing to me that in today’s society material objects cost so little that it makes it easy to collect things. I have been personally guilty of collecting toys from McDonald’s, wine, and a variety of other things. I have spent the past couple of years of my life trying to get rid of excess stuff. Having tons of things means that you are obligated to take care of what you have. So I been trying to scale back to a level where I feel comfortable.
After watching this show I typically get up and toss out an extra tupperware container that is missing its lid. I put aside things to give away. This last weekend, I had a party and old people to go through my extra books and take what they wanted. I also donate what I can to charity. I am do dumb founded that we let ourselves get into collecting things that we don’t need only to add more stuff.
