What’s my minimum to get along? What could I pare down to if I had to? That sounds easy until you start the reduction process. If we wax metaphysical, what could you do without a soul? Air? Gravity to hold me in place? It sounds trite, but, well, once you start the process, are you able to follow it to a sort of ultimate reduction?
I decided a long time ago that my life is a sort of evolving ecosystem. It’s evolved from the pack and guitar days to a wife and family, cats and dogs, a workshop, libraries of books, and bunches of other stuff.
But I’ve seen enough people with the pins knocked from underneath them to understand that this wonderfully evolved and complete little ecosystem can be reduced quickly to the pack and guitar level. Many wonderful people in Ukraine and California have had unpleasant experiences finding this out. From less traumatic experiences than those that they have suffered, I know that there comes a sort of resignation to rebuilding simply because there is no going back.
It’s such a first world sort of idiocy to play with the idea of simplifications. To idly pick three things you could not do without. Your world is an elaborately evolved ecosystem.
Rapid and cataclysmic simplification is much worse than letting Marie Kondo loose in your home. They are life-ending. The life you’ll live afterward will not be the one you lived before.
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I think a better question is, could you survive with only what you have on your person right this moment. I know the answer to that question firsthand. And I believe it is a valid one that everyone should consider, because you never know when it’s gonna be you.
It’s an important thing to consider, because you are right. We never know when it will be us.
Violet’s comment in response to your prompt is so important for me, because I’ve never really considered it. I like this thought exercise, Lou! I am so priviledged: much of my stuff that can be online is online. Current infrastructure in my country would allow me to eventually replace passport, drivers license, mortgage documents. But what if the infrastructure was gone, and what if I needed that passport tomorrow? Eek. Here in the PNW it’s popular for people to keep an earthquake bag/plan. But Pedro and I have never talked about it nor do we have anything. It seems so careless.
I am glad that Violet commented and provoked further thought!
I have been thinking about this relative to my small experience. I was lucky it wasn’t worse. It easily could have been worse. Resignation is an important component of survival and growth.
“The life you’ll live afterward will not be the one you lived before.”
Yes, dear Lou, I agree with you. In my geography where I live not easy anything… We are experiencing a complete collapse. We are losing all the values we gained and fought for, one by one. We are living hell on Earth. Thank you dear Lou, have a nice day, Love, nia
It’s important not to passively accept the destruction, Nia, but like a lot of people I struggle with ways to actively resist it. But we must try.
What a great post, Lou. Gets you thinking about what you do and don’t need. Well done.
Thanks, Mason!