George Carlin had a funny take on STUFF.

Tried to attach  clip of George and his take on STUFF but didn't work.  He can be a little foul mouthed at times, but for telling it like it is, the guy was  brilliant.

-- Edited by 3fortheroad on Sunday 21st of August 2011 02:41:34 PM

Yes, we are addicted to our stuff! My wife and I manage a 600+ unit storage facility; you wouldn't believe the money people pay to keep junk/stuff in storage. We have units that have been rented for 5-8 years and I would be willing to bet they have paid more in storage fees than the stuff is worth. We get attached to our belongings; we think our possessions are a reflection of our status/success. Actually our stuff owns us because it restricts our travel, finances, time with family, etc.

Anything you cannot relinquish when it has outlived its usefulness possesses you, and in this materialistic age a great many of us are possessed by our possessions.

Peace Pilgrim

If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven.

Jesus Christ



"A Message by ??:

The paradox of our time in history is that we have taller buildings but shorter tempers, wider Freeways , but narrower viewpoints. We spend more, but have less, we buy more, but enjoy less. We have bigger houses and smaller families, more conveniences, but less time. We have more degrees but less sense, more knowledge, but less judgment, more experts, yet more problems, more medicine, but less wellness.

We drink too much, smoke too much, spend too recklessly, laugh too little, drive too fast, get too angry, stay up too late, get up too tired, read too little, watch TV too much, and pray too seldom.

We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values. We talk too much, love too seldom, and hate too often.

We've learned how to make a living, but not a life. We've added years to life not life to years. We've been all the way to the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet a new neighbor. We conquered outer space but not inner space. We've done larger things, but not better things.

We've cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul. We've conquered the atom, but not our prejudice. We write more, but learn less. We plan more, but accomplish less. We've learned to rush, but not to wait. We build more computers to hold more information, to produce more copies than ever, but we communicate less and less.

These are the times of fast foods and slow digestion, big men and small character, steep profits and shallow relationships. These are the days of two incomes but more divorce, fancier houses, but broken homes. These are days of quick trips, disposable diapers, throwaway morality, one night stands, overweight bodies, and pills that do everything from cheer, to quiet, to kill. It is a time when there is much in the showroom window and nothing in the stockroom. A time when technology can bring this letter to you, and a time when you can choose either to share this insight, or to just hit delete...

Remember; spend some time with your loved ones, because they are not going to be around forever.

Remember, say a kind word to someone who looks up to you in awe, because that little person soon will grow up and leave your side.

Remember, to give a warm hug to the one next to you, because that is the only treasure you can give with your heart and it doesn't cost a cent.

Remember, to say, 'I love you' to your partner and your loved ones, but most of all mean it. An embrace will mend hurt when it comes from deep inside of you.

Remember to hold hands and cherish the moment for someday that person will not be there again.

Give time to love, give time to speak! And give time to share the precious thoughts in your mind.

AND ALWAYS REMEMBER:

Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.

If you don't send this to other people....Who cares?"
— 

Edited because JanieD found out this essay was not written by George Carlin..lol   I should have know it wasn't written by Mr. Carlin, there was no profanity 

 http://www.snopes.com/politics/soapbox/paradox.asp 



dannick wrote:

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Mark & Nancy,
WOW! That's all I can say!!

Your message as well as George Carlin's are so powerful. I think I'm going to post the George Carlin message on my blog as well.

Thanks for sharing :)

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 We are struggling with the "Stuff Addiction" too!  We sold a bunch of stuff when we moved 2000 miles but we still have a long way to go.  I wouldn't have a job if people quit their stuff addiction

janieD wrote:

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Though this is a great essay it is not by George Carlin. Some of it sounded like him but other parts did not so I put it through Snopes and this is what I found:
http://www.snopes.com/politics/soapbox/paradox.asp
It doesn't make the message any less true but I don't thing George would appreciate having it attributed to him. He was one of my favorite comics.

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I think George would have agreed with every word. I wasn't the one that attributed it to George.  I was a big fan of GC too.  I have been corrected; I will now sit in (self- imposed) time out for the next 30 minutes.  LOL

 Thanks for the snopes link I have edited the post.  I copied and pasted the article from a website that has a ton of my favorite quotes on it, I guess the internet is the same as the newspapers & nightly news, you can't trust the content.  Take care.

http://www.snopes.com/politics/soapbox/paradox.asp

janieD wrote:

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I didn't mean to offend. I like the sentiment of the post but in this day of circulating emails I have found it is important to check the sources. Snopes is a great site to do that on. George Carlin would probably agree with most of what is in that post, I also have seen his piece on "stuff" but as you read on Snopes he didn't want that piece attributed to him. It doesn't make the message any less valid. Sorry if I upset you or anyone else.

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 JanieD,

You did not offend me!  I have thick skin and I will admit when I'm wrong.  However, I am not going to research everything I read or copy from the internet, just too much of a waste of time IMO.  If I like the article, I may share it with others but I will refrain from including the author or source of the article/essay in the future.   

Now, could we get back to the OP's original question, Please??  "ARE WE ADDICTED TO STUFF" 

All our "stuff" is sitting in a 10' x 20' storage facility in Tucson. So far, we haven't missed it in four months while out on the East Coast ... but some of the "stuff" are heirlooms which the kids want and, once they set up shop somewhere, we will pass them onto the kids. However, that could take awhile ...

Great thoughts on the topic. After the recent hurricane, it further illustrates that "stuff" isn't really too important.

A friend of mine shared this incredible story with me which really puts things in perspective. 

Waggin Tails wrote:

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A friend once told me. "The intrinsic value 'stuff' is proportional to the amount of storage space available." This is why when one buys a larger house, it does not take long to fill it up.

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 Boy is that ever the truth!  When we lived in NY we had a big house with 2 attics, a barn and 2-car garage and they all managed to fill themselves up with STUFF!  Even though we've made a conscious effort to not accumulate more stuff here in Florida there's still a lot to get rid of before we can go fulltime.  It kind of sneaks up on you and attaches itself like a parasite.

Well, I will touch on something to try to avoid.  In our case, we got rid of a LOT of stuff to get down to where it would fit into the truck and fifth wheel.  But, since we are living full-time in one place for a few years yet, we began to accumulate "stuff" again.  We purchased some portable fence panels to create a yard for our dogs.  In talking to our landlord, we were informed that if I wanted to mow inside our fence, they would take some off of our lot rent.

That led to buying a lawn mower and string trimmer.  Then, with those, our generator, our bicycles and portable waste tank, we needed a storage shed.  So, we bought a plastic one for about $500 to store our new "stuff."

Since I don't trust the rear ladder for my 225 lbs, we then purchased a multi-ladder so that I don't have to use the rear ladder.  This one will also extend enough above the roofline that I'll have an easier time getting on the roof.  So, that is now in the shed.  I've also accumulated a bird bath (light and it disassembles so it can move with us when we move) and a torque wrench for the wheels.

So, my advice for all is that once you get rid of the "stuff," get in the RV and keep moving or you may start accumulating again.  While we've gathered some more, it won't be hard to get rid of what we have re-accumulated.

Terry