Stuffocation
While it seems like the era of mindless consumerism is coming to an end (at least we hope so), many of us are left feeling suffocated by our so-called precious belongings.
James Wallman does an incredible job of boiling this issue down to its roots in his book Stuffocation by interviewing experts in their respective fields about clutter and how it can affect your wellbeing, plus the role advertising plays in the materialistic mindset we have developed over the last several decades.
Wallman places a strong emphasis on the importance of ‘experimentalism’; the idea that, in the long run, the skirt you saw in the shop window isn’t going to make you as happy as a roadtrip with friends will.
A note from the author:
“I believe that the core idea in Stuffocation is the greatest opportunity for our society in the 21st century. I believe that if we embrace the switch from materialism to experientialism and the idea that memories live longer than things, we’ll solve the problems of ‘stuffocation’. As a result, I don’t feel I can just report on the fact that this is happening, when I realise I can get involved and make it happen sooner.“
Suffocation is a great book to help us truly understand why we’ve accumulated so many things over the years, and why now is the perfect time to stop.
