Our Hording America

Writen by Linda Mains

As I look over a meaningless, mundane, along the miraculously brutal moments, that make up any persons life. I've noticed something very obscure today. I twittered this in my pondering remembrance over and over again. Most if not all of humanity, is all about, what we own or what we want to own in this world. Whether we drive luxury cars, wear designer glasses, or own designer purses or luggage, we have a hoarding mentality. A lot of people want to have luxury kitchens or designer living rooms too.

Most Americans are secret hoarders on some level or another. The hoarder elite, will hoard money, which I guess would be at the top of the hoarding food chain. We are a people obsessed with hoarding! America has shows that are dedicated to hoarding. My case-in-point, and one of my favorite shows, is "Extreme Couponing." I kid you not, these people whom do extreme couponing, will stuff four shopping carts full of food, that sometimes cost close too $2000 dollars and will pay anywhere from $6 dollars to 35 or 40 dollars for that food. Basically, I saw lots of their carts stuffed with...condiment after condiment, soup cans, frozen foods, packages of toilet paper, rolls of paper towels, and boxes of cereal. Some of these extreme couponer's actually have storage sheds, to keep the hoard of stuff that they bought organized. I actually thought these people had enough food and condiments to start their own mini-marts. I have a question; "do these individuals actually need all this food?" NO, they could donate half of all the stuff that they got from extreme couponing to homeless shelters around their communities. I know that that's not going to happen, because hoarders refuse to donate or share anything with anyone, except their immediate family. You're probably asking; "Linda how the hell do you know?" I know, because, I come from a family of hoarders! That's why I'm qualified to write this post. Actually I did see one extreme cuponer, donating what he had purchased threw his extreme couponing. He donated his purchases to be separated into gift bags, his donated personal care items were deodorant, shampoo, and toothbrushes.

It's completely insane to me, how hoarding is dominating the American life style, a perfect example is the two for one special. You know what I'm talking about, that's where you buy one item, to get the second for free. I really believe unless you come from a big family or are going to share a meal, that the two for one special, is a special form of hoarding. The two for one special is hoarding in disguise. There's another hoarding in disguise meal item, its called the super sized meal.

I can actually talk about this, because when I moved from my apartment, I didn't want to be weighed down by the dusty crap that I owned anymore. So I decided to donate almost all of it to the organization called "Out Of The Closet." I love them, because most of their profits go to sex education, HIV testing, or to help people whom are HIV positive. Then I moved in with someone and when I decided not to live there anymore, I let him have my old bed and set of drawers. So who was the one who turned me onto this way of living? Actually, it was an ex-boyfriend named Ryan, whom said;"peoples crap holds them down! That people can not move around, because of their dusty crap, and that not owning anything, except for a very few necessities, will keep you young. Owning a bunch of dusty crap makes people old." He was right, I've noticed that people will hoard more and more crap, whether it be nick-nac's or furniture or electronic items, all of which will be stuffed into their houses or apartments. People will sit stationary for years, because of the dusty crap that they own! You and I both know that their stuff will grow old and obsolete in a five year period. All of which will bring about a continuous loop of hoarding, because once the hoarders stuff grows obsolete. They'll want more and more stuff to replace it. These types of people will ether give it away, or like in the show "Extreme Hoarding" they will stuff everything for years into their houses. Never getting rid of anything! That's exactly what my Grandparents did, and it took two giant bins to clean out that house and garage, after my Grandfather died. A task that my relatives and I where stuck with, which totally sucked!

My boss was always saying to me; "money was meant to be spent, and if you wait to long, you're gonna be to old to have any fun with that money." If you're hoarding your money, that's exactly what can happen too you! You'll find yourself living in a run down dilapidated old house, because, you refused to spend the money that's required for the up keep of the house. You will never go anywhere, because, you refused to spend any of that money, which you have been hoarding for years. Hoarding money to me is a prime example, of why people need to nip this bad habit in the butt.

Even I realize that commercials are geared, to make consumers out of people, when they first come out of the womb. Making the children who spend hour after hour, watching those commercials, into America's future hoarders. To me, it's really sad...that Americans and most of the people around the world live like this. People whom are trapped with their money and their stuff, inside their houses or apartments forever. While never travelling or doing anything, because, of their hording addictions. I'm constantly praying, that I won't become like the hoarders my Grandparents became, trapped with their possessions and their money in a dilapidated old house, never traveling or doing anything. When I grow old, I know I won't wind up that way, trapped by my possessions and or money in a dilapidated old house, because my personal possessions have no hold on my life now. Eventually my Grandfather did die, and even now all my Grandmother cares about are her personal possessions. She is constantly worried all the time, about someone stealing something from her. Even though most of the stuff that she owns is basically worthless, because they would never spend money on anything nice.

Jesus told everyone to leave their possessions behind and follow him. I never understood what he meant, when I was younger. I couldn't understand, why anyone, would tell anyone, to give up anything, to follow them. I'm mature now, and I finally understand, what he meant. He meant you can never be really "free" if your personal belongings and money are keeping you prisoner, and are tying you down to a mansion, house or apartment. Why does this happen? Because...you will constantly be worried, deep down inside, about your money, belongings, mansion, house, or apartment. It takes a lot of maturity, to realize, that there is nothing more important to you, then your life or then the life's of the people around you. Plus all the crap in the World, would be meaningless, without other people around, to enjoy your stuff. I hope everyone around the world will start to realize, that having more, is actually having less, especially, if you become a hoarder.