The annual Spring Festival is the biggest festival for Chinese people. During this festival, it seems that everything is on pause mode. Your previous life rhythm is disrupted and we have to stop and enter a dormant state...
In my last article, I talked about the "new life" that the "pause button" brought me - running 5 kilometers in one go. And now, another topic also makes me start to think: the Spring Festival cleaning.
When I go home to visit my parents, I can't help but help tidy up the rooms. Expired medicines, food that has been stored for several years, and all kinds of junk piled up in the corners...
A broken foot bath basin, my father insisted on keeping it in the basement.I joked:
"If it were gold bars, you should keep more for us. But these junk, who would use them?"
He couldn't come up with a counterargument and was very reluctant to have it disposed of.
"Decluttering" is the answer of this era.
The concept of "Decluttering" originated from "Decluttering" by author Haruki Murakami. It's not just about organizing items, but about organizing one's life.
For our generation:
- Resources are no longer scarce
• Online shopping is readily available
• Houses are small, and space is precious
• The information explosion causes visual anxiety
We gain lightness through "emptying". A clean space leads to a peaceful mind.
For us, "Decluttering" is efficiency, order, and self-management.But for our parents' generation, the world was not constructed this way.
Their "resistance" is a sense of security.
What our parents went through was:
- Lack of resources
- One thing could last for many years
- Anything that can be repaired should not be replaced
- Throwing something away is equivalent to waste
They don't not understand the concept of expiration. Instead, they have become accustomed to: Preparation is better than having things readily available, as it is more reliable.
Stockpiling was the sense of security in that era.
While we are accustomed to: buying when needed.
Before I left that day, I couldn't help saying to him: "Don't always look at your phone. Spend some time each day organizing your cabinets and wardrobes, throwing away what you no longer wear or use.
Having something to do and cleaning up space is always more meaningful than scrolling through those gossip apps that hurt your eyes." Because he said his eyes were a bit blurry recently.
Nostalgia cannot be eradicated by reason.
During the sorting process, we together pulled out an old cabinet. Inside were the items from my childhood.
They had turned yellow and had no practical use anymore. Reason told me:
It has no meaning. But at that moment, I still felt a moment of confusion.
Time seemed to fold. That feeling was very wonderful - Knowing that it cannot be returned, yet it still touched me.
At that moment, I suddenly understood something about my father.Some things are left behind, not for use. It is to prove - Those days really existed.
So I understood the concept of "regional sentiment". Many people wander alone for a lifetime, but eventually they still return to their hometowns to search for that unforgettable regional sentiment!
Is decluttering really suitable for everyone?
Expired food and medicine - This is not a matter of ideology; it's a matter of safety.
It must be thrown away.
But what about a broken foot basin?
What about the childhood items in the old cabinet?
If someone can't bear to part with them, we say they are stubborn.
If an entire generation can't bear to part with them, perhaps it's not a matter of personality.
It's a matter of generational memory.
We gain security through "reduction".
They gain security through "retention".
We want to free up space.
They want to retain time.
These two are not necessarily opposed.
The truly mature decluttering
Perhaps the true decluttering is not cutting into one's parents. But cutting into one's own anxiety.
- Concerning safety issues, stick to principles
- Regarding emotional objects, allow for a buffer
- Don't force any changes
If one day he is willing to tidy up, that's great.
If he still retains some "junk", it doesn't necessarily mean it's wrong.
After all, what he retains might be his entire life.
What I have learned is: Decluttering is not a symbol of progress. Understanding is.
Rationality enables us to judge right from wrong,
Maturity enables us to understand differences.
When I was young, I thought progress meant changing the previous generation. Later, I realized that true maturity is allowing differences to exist.
Decluttering deals with items.
Rational growth deals with oneself.
Some things must be thrown away.
Some memories, not necessary.
In life, some things to be thrown away have no value, while some things are worth cherishing.
【Emotional Management: The Least Valued First Asset in Life】