Too Much Stuff...

South Korea is not a land of peasants as some would believe. Images from the television show M*A*S*H lead us to believe otherwise. Remember, that show is at least 25 years old and represents one perspective of 60 years ago. No, I saw no peasants in South Korea. In fact, a glance at their CIA World Factbook entry (I love saying that) shows their economy is very similar to the US. While I'm sure there are the poor, most of the people I encountered seemed to have everything they needed.

Transportation is plentiful, food is everywhere and clothing is readily available (unless you're 6'2"). Housing is expensive, but everyone seems to find what they need. Electronic gadgets, the new measure of success are flooding the market. Everyone from the age of 6 has a cell phone, and they have models that won't be in the US for a couple of years at least.

I visited a number of homes and found warmth and plenty. In fact, what struck me most was just how little it takes to really make one happy. Several times I pondered the lack of storage space. Oh, there was plenty of space for the day to day items, but I couldn't see where they kept all the things they had accumulated over the years. Then it dawned on me. They don't have those things.

Absent is the attic packed with years of useless junk. No garage. No storage building. Gone is the overstuffed hall closet. It was shocking. "How do they survive without it?" I wondered. I'm not saying they don't share our desire to improve their condition. Human nature is the same everywhere, but these people seem to have a different perspective on need.

I never asked, but they seem to embody the old phrase, "If you haven't used it in a year, you don't need it." Better than that, they don't buy it in the first place. Some say we are a wealthy country. By comparison, that may be true. But I think we are simply spoiled. We have, so we accumulate. Then we need a bigger house.

Seeing this encouraged me to do something I've needed to do for a long time. I'm having a garage sale! I'm starting in the spare bedroom and purging. Every room and especially the attic. No more useless stuff. I made the announcement, "If you aren't busy, you're outta here." You should have seen the dogs spring into action.