The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up:...by Marie Kondo

[Edward]

Not to bust in on this dialogue since I am somewhat ambivalent towards this subject, but that list of statistics seems incredibly biased against possessions in general. I am sure somebody could come up with another list just as long and detailed that casts Americans or whomever in the light of a frugal and utterly minimalist culture.

Just sayin'.

[Steve]

Edward: I am sure somebody could come up with another list just as long and detailed that casts Americans or whomever in the light of a frugal and utterly minimalist culture.

I would very much like to see such a list!

[Ian]

no surprise that the list is biased, it came from a blog called becomingminimalist.com.

[Steve]

a blog called becomingminimalist.com

...which I have visited from time to time. I can appreciate Mr. Becker's take on minimalism:

Minimalism is the intentional promotion of the things we most value and the removal of everything that distracts us from it.

That definition seems in harmony with the Savior's teachings on our hearts, treasures, masters, and lilies. It calls to mind Joshua 24:15, Jacob's admonition to his people about spending money, President Uchtdorf's Of Regrets and Resolutions, and the Church's excellent Worldwide Devotional earlier this year by Randall L. Ridd, Living with Purpose: The Importance of “Real Intent”.

One cannot maximize the most important without minimizing the lesser things. I'm fairly certain that it's impossible. If we "halt" between the two, we are neither hot nor cold. You can't embrace both at the same time. I think Hugh Nibley's Approaching Zion and its frequent references to statements by prophets like Brigham Young really help make this point clear. Kerry Muhlstein's wonderful devotional I referred to in the motherhood thread does a good job addressing this as well.

[Steve]

Additional General Conference quotes that came to mind:

Hartman Rector, Jr.: There is no real joy or happiness in the accumulation of material possessions.

John K. Carmack: Alcohol, drugs, salacious entertainment, pornography, and accumulation of material things clog the arteries of faith...

[Ian]

materialism takes various forms. one form is a strong desire to accumulate things. another form is a strong desire to purge things. both forms exhibit a fixation on things. it’s not inherently wrong to accumulate/purge things, but these desires become materialistic when they intensify enough to override more important priorities.

[Steve]

I suppose that's true—any pursuit that pulls us away from the highest priorities is to be avoided. I do recall an experience on my mission, though, that illustrates a related lesson. I remember arriving in an area as a first time district leader with a junior companion who had been in the area for many months. I asked to see the area book and he pulled it out from a dusty corner. It was obvious that the book had not been accessed for years. I remember telling him that we would not be knocking doors that day, but that we would be going to visit the addresses we had recorded in the book. He rejected the idea, saying that it was more important that we go knock doors and find people. I told him that if we got our house in order, we'd have greater success. He grew angry and told me it was a complete waste of time, but finally conceded. We spent the next several days following up on old data, removing outdated records and recording new information. My companion expressed his frustration every day, but we finally had brought this area book up to date. In the process, we identified several families who gladly received us with no idea as to why missionaries stopped coming to their homes, and baptisms followed. Missionaries who would come to this area in the future would now be free of the burden we chose to remove.

I learned from that experience that sometimes it is best to take the time to get things in order so that you can serve more efficiently and faithfully the rest of the time. That little investment can more than make up for the lost productivity of focusing for a time on the preparations rather than the thing itself. I suppose you could liken it to being willing to pay the costs up front to seal a drafty window to avoid the seemingly small, but costly over the long-term results of leaving it be.

I worry that some may suggest that I'm using the same logic used by providers who claim that if they work long hours through the early years, they'll be in a better financial situation to be able to dedicate more time to their teenagers. Or parents who wait to have children until they have "set their houses in order" to receive them with greater financial security. Please know I am not condoning these rationalizations at all. I merely hope to suggest that there are things we can do over time to give us more time and energy (and things we can preemptively do to avoid problems in the first place) that can bless our lives. The accumulation of material possessions can clog our lives and we would do well to avoid it.

[Ian]

you kept the book instead of purging it. kondo would be displeased.

[Steve]

Don't I know it. I got a Kondo "cease and desist" letter a few weeks later. I threw the letter away, so we're back on speaking terms.

[Jezebel]

It's really not an matter of how much or how little. It's a matter of taste, and what you choose to include or exclude. For example, my courtyard is kept simple and "minimalist" (if that's what they call 'class' these days). Some trees surrounding a tasteful, abstract idol, an altar for the servants to gather around, some nice paint - simple and classy.



But for my bedroom, I like to be surrounded by beautiful plants and tapestries. It gives an air of luxury and wealth that, sorry minimalists, no bare-bones humdrum can possibly effect:



Now the living/throne room. I think this is where it all comes together. I went with a grand approach, but tasteful. I think the idol behind the piano adds, I don't know, that je ne sais quoi we all strive for.



I think you can have nice things (I mean, who doesn't want to have nice things?), but they should be the best things. A few of the most expensive and tasteful pieces will always be better than a trove of trash. It's all about image after all, and as we all know, taste is something money cannot buy. It can buy lots of other stuff though.

[Steve]

What a lovely piano, Jezebel. I didn't know you played!

[Jezebel]

Oh yes, and I also play the lyre and the dulcimer. It's a hallmark of good breeding, and it makes for lovely party entertainment after a sacrificial ritual. Like I said, it's all about taste.

[James]

Julia Child went opposite of Kondo's recommendations.
http://www.vox.com/2015/6/7/8737451/jul ... ds-kitchen

[Edward]

I think that kitchen is great! It is really busy and has a ton of stuff, but it works for her, and you just know it was done in a way that let her focus on her cooking while still having everything she could have needed right on hand in a clever and accessible space. That, to me, is the ideal. Space should be used to make life easier, not necessarily glorified as an end in and of itself.

I love having lots of stuff like that around; it makes a space feel so homely and exciting. I always focus better in spaces with lots to see and hear, which is why in school I could never do homework in hushed libraries devoid of sound or in those clinically dull study spaces. When a place is too empty and sterile, my mind has nothing to latch on to and my ideas stray, and I can't keep my thoughts straight. Even in the temple there are paintings and plants and cool furniture and flowers and mirrors ... I need things around me to give direction to my mind, whatever I may be working on. Clutter is definitely not a good thing, but things and clutter are totally different concepts in my mind. One is simple a quantity of items; the other is the wonton misplacement of things that hinders ease of living. The quantity of things isn't really the issue I think; it's how you organize it all, and where you put it, and how creative you are with the whole process, that make the difference.

Child's kitchen is full of stuff that is organized in a way that is creative and facilitating and inventive and, so obviously, loved. That makes it a successfully used space if you ask me. And I bet Child was a better chef than Kondo too, hehehe.

[Steve]

Edward: Space should be used to make life easier, not necessarily glorified as an end in and of itself.

It should be noted here that sometimes leaving space alone is what makes life easier, though I'd also add that "ease" shouldn't be glorified either (1 Nephi 17:41).

Edward: The quantity of things isn't really the issue I think; it's how you organize it all, and where you put it, and how creative you are with the whole process, that make the difference.

This still puts the focus on things. Creativity and organization don't change the fact that you've added more stuff to your life, which inevitably costs you. It may cost money. It costs space. And it most certainly costs time. It may be worth it to spend those resources in order to acquire certain things, but I definitely think it's wise to periodically consider the costs of our things, including the ongoing maintenance costs. Creative placement doesn't necessarily eliminate the costs associated with quantity.