A thread on the Tea House made me think a little more about something I’ve been working on for a while, it’s a work in progress and will probably never stop. I’ve been decluttering.
Now, that refers not only to my mental state, but also to my environment and even to my computer. It’s very true that before we can learn, we need to clear out our old mental baggage, there’s a good Zen story to that very point; but it’s also true that we need to be equally choosy about what we let in.
I’ve found that a cluttered environment, both physical and virtual, can have a detrimental effect on mental focus. Clearing it can be done a bit at a time, but I found it’s worthless unless I’m vigilant about what I let in.
In the physical and virtual realms, I always ask the question, do I really need this new item or download? You’d be amazed once you start doing that how much time, effort and expense we simply waste, it also helped wake me up a little more to the futility of the consumer culture we live in. From the mental standpoint, I try to be more critical of what I’m told and check things out before accepting them; as the mental standpoint powers the other two areas, I think that’s far more important.
Good to read this–and be reminded! It’s a battle I wage constantly, and success is always followed by the revelation of yet another layer of clutter to clear. It’s so easy to forget, and allow the encrustations to grow… in life, on the computer, in the mind. Thanks!