Last month, as I walked the aisles of a Wal-Mart in Yukon, Oklahoma on Christmas Eve, I found myself surrounded by people and products. In every direction I turned, there were people jockeying for last-minute gifts. In the harsh glow of fluorescent light, panic washed over me. From the floor to ceiling, an endless sea of things meant to make us happy before being consumed, devalued, and tossed aside laid before me and a singular thought washed over; the accumulation of things is not a life I want anymore.

Returning to my two-bedroom apartment in Los Angeles, California, an arduous task lays before me. Between now and March 13th, I must pack up everything I own and prepare it to be moved to Seattle, Washington; where I will be making my home once again after completing the Pacific Crest Trail. As I begin handling everything I own, the epiphany felt in a big box store is firmly planted in my mind. The truth of the matter is that lots of things I have accumulated no longer bring me joy. Placing these items in boxes before they are moved up the coast, I am left to ponder whether they ever did.

I assume, if you were to take an honest look around your home, you would be left with the same feelings that are now weighing on me. Our consumer-based economy demands we purchase more and more stuff with little regard to the impact of our decisions. This greed leaves us comparing ourselves to neighbors and strangers. It is also beginning to have real impacts on the world in which we leave. For far too long, we’ve used this planet of ours as a means to an end without ever stopping to think that the end might be a very real possibility. As I watch storms grow stronger, fires more intense, ice caps melt and my fellow human beings consume more than the earth can produce, I have to stop and consider my own fault.

So, here I stand over an open, brown, cardboard box. I find myself only packing the things I need or that bring me joy. The rest is going into three piles: donate, recycle, and trash. Beyond these boxes, I am dedicating myself to a dramatic change in my spending habits. No longer will I make frivolous purchases. From here on out, I will consider joy and the true impact of my buying power. Naturally, I believe this will shift my energy toward the accumulation of experiences over things. The transition won’t be easy, and I am only one person, but I know I am joining a movement of people who are considering and acting upon the same concerns. Together, we can make a real difference and, hopefully, begin turning the tide and rolling back some of the damage we have already done.

Be good to each other,

-Nathan

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