I find that raw foodists eschew materialism to a large degree.

I've explored this a bit in a video.

Hope you enjoy:

[www.raw-food-health.net]

material things mean nothing

RusticBohemian Wrote:
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> I find that raw foodists eschew materialism to a
> large degree.
Nice video.....you really bare your Soul. It
gives us all something to think about, and decide where
we stand.
I guess I'm attached to my juicers and blender,
but, like the Buddhas believe, I'm using material possessions
as a Yana (a vehicle to the other shore), to be discarded when
we arrive....maybe I'll keep my Wheatgrass Juicer.......WY



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/25/2009 12:40AM by Wheatgrass Yogi.

RB --
Great food for thought. I've been trying to simplify my life for years. It seems like stuff just breeds, though. I'm guilty of having a bunch of stuff that I have done nothing with except carry it around with me for YEARS, including having it shipped across the country three years ago when I moved from California to Massachusetts. I don't even know what is in some of the boxes; others have old letters to and from people I haven't seen in 30 years. It's bizarre. This is one of my goals for this year (and it's probably going to take a better part of this year to do it) -- to get rid of this stuff! I have a big house that we want to turn into an organic store/restaurant/apartment housing for interns who work on our farm, which we are just now buying. It's funny -- we're not even the type of people who go around acquiring stuff to see how much we can have; it is just sort of happening. I have a book on living simply (and about a thousand other books!) and plan on breaking it out. This area of my life is one that I see being cleaned up as a natural process as I head farther into raw foods and farming. I want to only have the material stuff that I need, and I think that as I go along, I will find that I need less and less. So much to get rid of; so little time!

Yes, the car thing is a whole other subject!!! I have a friend who rides herself and her little boy around town using a bicycle twelve months a year!! I admire her fortitude and every time I see her bike, I think, "I need to break my bike trailer out for my daughter to ride around in!" But I still load my wimpy Californian ass into my Volvo to go to the store a half mile away. When I lived in Cali, I was much better at riding my bike; I only drove when I had to commute to work a couple of days a week. Now my commute is less, but I drive short distances more now, partially because it is winter. Part of this simplification process, for me, is also rethinking my career choice, possibly getting out of fine dining and setting up a home business so I don't have to drive so much. And getting the diesel Mercedes running and learning to make biodiesel for it (and the tractor) for when I do have to drive. Like I said, so much to think about! I admire you for simplifying your space. It gets a little trickier when you have a family and multiple people's stuff.
Whoa -- sorry about my long windedness; I guess you really made me think!

WOW !
This post is exactly whats going on with me recently!
I have been going thru MY apartment as well and getting rid of things!
I have been looking for a smaller apartment or house as well.
Its just me here I dont need a 2 bedroom apartment!
LOL and especially a KITCHEN! I dont need a kitchen or stove or cooking utensils.
Maybe just a knife and a cutting board and thats it!
I have crock pots, george forman grill,pots,pans,plates,forks,knives,etc etc.
And WHY?
I think this week I will take all this stuff to the local thrift store.
I have been thinking about this now for a couple of weeks and i dont need all thease things.
I have a huge computer center with a 20 inch flat screen and I think a LAPTOP
would be just fine!
And I too have like 50 DVD movies I never watch! LOL!
But I do have kids that come here and use the TV and their XBOX.
But all in all I have too many things!
I have things in my garage I never ever use so why not toss them!
I found a house a week ago that was 1 bedroom and very small but would have been perfect for me!
It was 325 a month and Im paying 485 for this apartment!
Thats 160 bucks less than Im paying here.
But it was rented out before I was able to get a paycheck to move there and best of all it was in a very quiet nice area.
Im always stressed about finances but yet I spend money all the time on things I dont need!
WOW this video really makes one think!
We are very materialistic!
Thanks for posting this video!
Rob

Thanks Andrew! I think the same,but I love my books,and my vitamix,but I can live without them too. It is so good to be light,to have little things,or almost nothing.
Hey,here is a great place to watch any movie that you want.
www.watch-movies.net/

You are probably preaching to the converted but it's good to hear someone else talking about material possessions. You identify all the things that you don't need and could live with out but aren't going to get rid of them until you move out of your apartment in a year which i thought was interesting.

bah im not converted .. i am a slave to my stuff


all mine mine mine mine ! (does anyone remember this cartoon lol)

all kidding aside i (we) have wayy too much crap and have been purging alot over the last year

...Jodi, the banana eating buddhist




Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/25/2009 07:03PM by Jgunn.

Good post, Andrew! I noticed that when I became a vegetarian, lo these many years ago, I started to care less about accumulating, and more about reusing and recycling. Now I am caring more about determining which of my possessions are superfluous and reducing their number; CDs are music, and music's non-negotiable, however

My friends have long joked that, with my minimalist approach to "stuff," I'll be a Buddhist monastic by age forty. Slowly, slowly . . .

Superfluous material possessions are the shackles of the spirit.

Jodi--
heck yeah!!! I'm wearing Daffy Duck slippers as we speak!! :p

Yeah, I'm with you, though I like a few 'things' hangin' around as it's sort of an extension of who I am. Not much, just comfortable.

geo

All I have is photo's of my daughter and family back in the UK, an mp3 player and two sets of clothes and a back pack.

I got rid of everything that served no purpose years ago, including people and actions.

RB

Richard you walk the walk don't you and not just talk the talk. Respect.

flipperjan Wrote:
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> Richard you walk the walk don't you and not just
> talk the talk. Respect.

Well, it's nothing to respect really....I've lived long enough to realise what's really valuable/meaningful in life and I've got the balls to take action and live life accordingly.

A rugby coach I had when I was younger was a great Father figure to me and he once told me that in regards to material things "you can only where one set of shoes at a time" and that's always stuck with me.

Be good

RB



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/27/2009 02:56PM by richard blackman.

I have some experience with this and I have to say, that although the whole material thing can be construed this way or that way...when someone starts becoming aware of the 'illusion' of it-it is easy to want to swing the pendulum the other way creating the idea that one needs to act immediately in the direction of removing all that is material from their life. Its kinda the equivalent of changing your diet overnight and expecting that to clear out all your old baggage and problems. only with possessions it is something one has even less control of then diet since the material world is where you operate in order to have that freedom to act inwardly. For instance If you don't have a house to put things in, you will always be eating on the run, not necessarily a good or bad thing, just how it is. Same is true with the small things...if you only have one pair of shoes then thats what you are wearing to the beach. heh.

I was determined to get down to that backpack and shoes model after almost a decade of removing most material things, but in the process I really severed ties with my security financially as well...which is not a good thing. its one thing to pursue a simple life, but its something one has to commit to 100% and be ok with whatever circumstances come of it which is easier said then done.

what I can say now is "its nice to have nice things". There are also things that I do not have that I in fact want and I certainly don't consider myself to be spiritually handicapped for that.

as long as one isn't continually acquiring or holding on to particular junk just to satisfy some inner need I think its fine to live materially..even VERY materially... if these material things can exist interchangeably for the person. although I certainly think regular 'purging' is still a great practice.

[www.giveittomeraw.com]



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/27/2009 04:10PM by anaken.

Thanks Andrew. I really liked your video. I've made similar realizations too, but that video was just kind of poetic.

Anaken --
Good point. A case in point for this is having kids. My parents were off and on minimalists, partially because we moved so much, and I remember them getting rid of things that were important to me. Maybe that's why I'm such a pack rat now. I was excited about minimalizing and simplifying my life when my three older kids moved out, did a pretty good job (except for my storage unit :p), then met the love of my life and had another baby. Now I have a whole new house full of stuff!!! I think being thankful where you are and generous when life calls for it is important no matter how much or little you have, and remembering that it is just stuff.

I imagine that most people who have "next to nothing', as
Shane said, don't have extra money to spend. It takes a
Special Person to have next-to-nothing with plenty of
money. Anyone? Not I......WY

When my son was 21 he had some rough times and lived under a bridge for a few months. He said a millionaire lived there too -- he was so sick of society, it was the only place he felt comfortable.

Im really happy I watched this video.
I am currently getting rid of everything but personal items like photos.
Everything else is gone.
Im going to spend this spring and summer living in the mountains
in my tent.
I have a 95 toyota 4runner and I can move the seats forward and sleep in there too.
Why pay rent and power for a place that I wont be in much?
I will be at work and when not at work I will be outside somewhere enjoying the weather.
I was paying 485/month for rent and 70-100 /month for the power bill.
So I will be saving almost 600 a month by living outdoors which is where we all
started anyway.
I have realized by getting rid of all my "stuff" how it just sat there day by day
gathering DUST!
I am getting a gym membership so i can take a shower and work out there also.
thats 30/month.
And a small storage shed for personal things which is 10/month.
So 40 bucks a month is much better than 585.
Plus I will be debt free by summers end!
I will do laundry once a week at the laundry mat.
I only have enough clothes for 5 days.
I got rid of the rest!
And it is such a relief, I feel like a load is off my shoulders.
I think the more things we have the more we have to maintain, thus the more
room we need meaning more money to pay for a bigger and bigger place.
And being raw helps make it even more simple.
When Im hungry I will go get fruit or some veggies and greens.
And only buy enough for right this minute, this way I cannot overeat!
I like the idea of just living simple.
Rob



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 02/21/2009 07:52PM by roadrunner.

eaglefly Wrote:
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> material things mean nothing


You can send them to me then!

What size shoe are you?

You must be either a child, disabled or a non-working spouse to believe that.

Eek. I have a house. 3 br, 2 ba. For one person and two dogs.

Contents:
sofa (bought)
dining set (inherited from deceased sister)
marble coffee and end tables ("
bed ("
bed (inherited from parents)
weight bench
weights
pc
pc speakers
printer
2 phones
clothes, shoes, socks, underwear
piano
some books
some cds
some tools
some kitchen utensils, plates, forks, pots, pans, blender, grinder
refrigerator
range
hood
dishwasher
hot water heater
furnace
bathtub
shower
two toilets
cabinetry
fireplace
carport
garden tools and equipment
concrete table and benches for patio
extension cords
indoor ladder
outdoor ladder
small Japanese economy car
work badges, one with a bar code
medicine
toiletries
chemicals/ingredients for making own toiletries
lots of brown glass little bottles
white wood blinds
throw rugs
comforters
pillows
sheets
towels
cleaning agents

Funny thing is people say my house is minimalist.
Gag. Too much stuff.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/21/2009 10:57PM by arugula.

How dare you arugula?! You should be naked in the woods eating Cavendish bananas!!

Oh, well, today I was clothed (red tshirt, blue jeans) but eating a smoothie of tangerine, orange, cranberry, and flax. The citrus at least was from my daddy's backyard.

Oh, and I saw my daddy today, and also my brother, who will be financing my latest plumbing disaster repair. Busted up drain pipe and exploded wood parquet floor in the bedroom will be replaced. With tile.

Too much stuff, too many cares, no way to pay for them on my own without going into credit card heaven. Brother has money but I PAY when he pays for stuff, if you know what I mean. I would rather not PAY. I would rather have less stuff.

i am scared to make a list, eek. with the three of us and my studio it's really a LOT of stuff right now. really.
i'm not that attached to most of it though, so it doesn't count, right.

what mental things can be discarded as well?
i would love to have an empty clean quiet room "upstairs"

good one Ver... i think i work on that at least as much as i work on clearing out and organizing our home space. i've learned how to let go of a LOT but i'm still practicing being in the now. the baby girl really helps me there. you can't spend any time with kids without getting into the moment. they make each second so incredibly interesting and unique. it's awesome.

I can't say I don't enjoy material things -- for example, I have an awful lot of clothes (almost all of them from thrift stores though) -- but I try to make sure I don't feel inordinately attached to my stuff or defined by it. I regularly throw out three-quarters of my clothes and start again from scratch, or I give away tons of books and other things, rather than hold onto them. One thing I'd like to have even more of is musical instruments and music-related electronics, but I'm not obsessed. If we had a fire and I had to evaluate in a hurry, I'd grab my flutes and amplifier, and Jonathan would probably grab our camping equipment and 2 tents.

Furniture for my apartment is something I hardly notice; we replaced our sofa and bedroom furniture about 10 years ago when Jonathan got a windfall from the Social Security Admin., and I haven't given it a thought since, except that I'm incredibly thankful for our fantastic tempipedic mattress! ;-p But in truth, I'm much more interested in and concerned with artwork and creating a mood throughout the place with beautiful color-coordination, which can be created on the cheap. I find great curtains and dishes, and all manner of cool color-coordinated brick-a-brack in blues, purples and aquas at Goodwill and Salvation Army every so often.

We don't have a car; don't want one. I haven't driven since the '70s. Our biggest expenditures are for food and the gym. Never go to a hairstylist except maybe once every few years I have to go to 'SuperCuts' to have my hair trimmed if it's gotten too long for me to trim it. Manicures? -- never had one in my whole life. I clip 'em. SHORT. Hate nail polish. I can't be bothered. About a year ago I made a rare kitchen appliance expenditure when we got a stimulus payment: I went to Macy's and got a "Juiceman" juicer. I'm planning on making it last a long, long time, and I love it.

If you saw me on the street, you might think I'm kind of materialistic and impractical, because I like to wear designer threads and a lot of purple jewelry (all of which I make) and purple lipstick and eyeshadow-- living up to my reputation in town as 'The Purple Psychedelic Turbo-Flute Lady'-- but I have a very sloppy, practical side too: I'm somehow managing to still wear the same 3 perfect Olga bras I bought at Filene's Basement over 15 years ago (they're indestructible!!!), and I have one very beat looking (but soft and lovable) flannel nightgown that I put on as soon as I get in the house.

Oh yeah-- I forgot about the computer! That's a prized possession. It's such a part of my life that I have to admit I'd be hard-pressed to give it up. I must confess, Jonathan's son, who runs all the computers at Logan Airport, bought us our latest computer and pays for our DSL service. Major blessing. Our television is wonderful, but hilariously ugly. It's one of those old-fashioned giant screened color tvs in a big wooden cabinet that takes up a huge amount of room. When our tiny Sony portable stopped working, mysteriously, someone in our apt. building posted a notice the next day that a television was available to anyone who wanted it, and we claimed it.

I try to think of life as kind of a camping trip-- travel lightly and don't take too much stuff, and you won't be so burdened.

Sharrhan:


[www.facebook.com]

heyyyyyyy i have one of those big old wooden tvs too funny thing is .. ive gone through so many *new* tvs that dont last and this one just keeps goin .. an goin .. an goin ..

i think its gonna outlive me

if it doesnt .. im gonna turn the cabinet into a fish tank if an when it ever dies =D

...Jodi, the banana eating buddhist