Tuesday, January 30, 2007

Wherein we discover the relationship between unhappiness and hoarding

I am a hoarder. I admit it freely.

I have lots of fabric.

Lots of fiber.

Lots of yarn.

Obscene lots of the aforementioned textiley thingees.....

Really, it is so obscene that my sewing room should be adults only. The kids do get to go into it occasionally, under supervision, and with the adult language and fiber violence carefully edited out. (I kind of have no choice, since the door stays open and Littlest's clothes are in there.)

But since I was laid off, I have had no urge whatsoever to....erm....collect. That's right, it's gone. No desire to go to the fabric store to putter about....no desire to buy anything. I am spinning, as folk can see, slowly whittling away the stash, and considering a larger project than the last few...maybe those two merino tencel fibers.

It's odd really, and not entirely related to joblessness or financial considerations. I think that it is in fact related to my own general feel of improved outlook, approaching improvements and general pleasantness of my days.

Which brings me to my point.

Is there a relationship between the drive to acquire and dissatisfaction with our lives, even just one major aspect? Could it be that unhappiness in fact contributes significantly to the individuals that spend excessively? Is there something fundamentally wrong with our society that accepts and even encourages consumption beyond reason, but making changes is out of the question?

I simply can't believe that I am the only one making this connection to the rampant consumerism of our modern world. I wonder if other countries have this issue, or if it's one more thing that Americans do REALLY well.

Could this be a product of practising gratitude? Could it be that gratitude can really make these kinds of profound changes in our lives? If so, I think I will bottle it and sell it....cause you know, there's a sucker born every minute and he will buy ANYTHING.

Did I mention that I have recently gotten the urge to paint?....I even have a big canvas in the garage waiting for me. I have not had the urge to paint in YEARS, I even have an idea for the painting.

I shall keep you posted, of course.

4 comments:

Bezzie said...

Hm. It's possible that unhappiness feeds consumerism. Or it could merely be self preservation--you know you're not making as much money sans job right now and therefore don't feel the need to purchase new fibery things.

It would have been interesting if you kept a "purchase journal" (think similar to those food journals dieters try to keep) to record your feelings when you bought X, Y, and Z to see if there was a corrolation.

Batty said...

Sometimes, acquisition of objects is a way to make ourselves feel better because we're doing something nice for ourselves. Sometimes, there's no time to give to yourself in other ways, and it's OK unless it becomes a compulsion, obsession, or other unhealthy kind of activity.

Me, I actually like to look at stuff and think about what I'd like. But I like looking and imagining better than buying, unless something really catches my fancy. It's more of a 'oooh, look at that pretty yarn' than an 'oooh, get me my wallet, I want it' type of thing.

But yes, our mood does affect what and how much we buy.

LadyLungDoc said...

It's pretty common for people to describe a feeling of "emptyness", "a void", or "a big hole inside" when they are down. I think that people try to fill that hole with things (trinkets, food, activity) rather than face it and feel it.

Rachel said...

You know, it may also be the season. I've slowed down the acquiring myself. Hey! I'm tagging you for a meme! Visit my blog to get it.