The Karma Disintegrator

I'm writing this on a Sunday instead of my usual Monday evening after work. It's a typical lazy Sunday at home where I tried to catch up on some podcasts, do a bit of light work and pursue my on-going task of de-cluttering my living spaces.

De-cluttering has been a major pursuit of mine these past months. Over the years, I've accumulated a lot of stuff--clothes, bags, cables, computer and other electronic accessories. Many of them have already outlived their usefulness. I have a simple rule of thumb these days: if I haven't touched them for more than a year, then there are a candidate for the garbage bin. Or if I find something that have totally forgotten about its existence, then I can certainly banish it out of my life forever.

I have a tendency to hold on to things for their sentimental value. I have old hotel receipts of memorable trips, movie ticket stubs, airline boarding passes and other pieces of memorabilia that mark significant chapters in my life. But with my newly acquired resolve to de-clutter, they have been made as sacred offerings to my 'karma disintegrator'--that's what I call my heavy duty paper-shredder.

Decluttering has become something spiritual to me. Every piece of old junk that I offer to the altar of the garbage bin carries residual karma that can be eliminated for good. I humour myself by thinking that this as a super-quick way of working out karma. I feel a deep sense of spiritual release after a heavy session of house-cleaning.

It is a great feeling to see your room cleared of dust and other unnecessary stuff. I like the feeling so much that I have even set myself a quota of ditching at least two garbage bags of unwanted stuff every week. I have been faithfully adhering to this ritual for the past couple of months and I'm amazed that I still have a huge pipeline of stuff waiting for disposal. At this rate, I'll probably end up with only bare necessities, which would be a wonderful achievement. Who knows, maybe I'll even become a minimalist!

Decluttering is just one part of the equation towards leading a more minimal life. We should also try to minimize acquisition and consumption. I am ultra-conscious of what I buy nowadays--weighing their usefulness against their potential to clutter my living spaces very carefully. Everything I buy has to contribute towards learning, improving productivity or simplifying life. Things that satisfy a certain craving of the senses or pander to the ego do not deserve any consideration at all in my life.

If you do not have any spiritual practices like daily prayer or meditation, consider regular decluttering instead. I think it ranks on par with the rest in terms of spiritual benefits. Instead of buying incense, prayer beads or other paraphernalia of worship, consider getting yourself a karma disintegrator. I guarantee that the gods will be very pleased with your offering of personal garbage.