a sustainable existence

when i moved to berkeley, i was struck by the sheer number of things that i owned. thinking some more about it, i realize that although a lot of these things have sentimental attachment for me - it is an attachment all the same. i'd feel guilty getting rid of things that i've been given in the past. why? because a lot of these objects speak to me of the love/consideration/generosity that various people in my life have expressed. that i value. but what would i lose if i gave away the object. only the object, right? does not that love, that consideration, that generosity remain intact in that space and time? does not my value of that love, consideration, and generosity remain intact just as well?

i have decided to practise the following for now: for every object that i purchase, i must get rid of one. this will not be a huge achievement, given the number of things i already do own, but i think it would be a step in the direction of leading a more sustainable existence. perhaps also a much-desired move towards detachment from physical possessions, even if these possessions are valuable to me only for the memories they bring (and not their use, really).

i'm in class now, and there's more along the lines of this topic that i've been pondering over. specifically - detachment. but that's a heavy subject, and it will take me some more time to articulate on.