The Apathetic

Everyone has their opinion on what is wrong and right (but mostly wrong) with the world. We all see the problem as clear as day and the solution is just so simple! Why don’t the politicians in Washington just get their act together? Better yet, why don’t they just send me or you, or even some monkey’s, certainly they couldn’t screw it up any worse?

But the truth is, it’s not that simple, and I like to think we intuitively know that. The solutions to the problems we face are not easy ones, and almost always have unseen consequences. So, what do we do? It’s overwhelming. Even just trying to research one measure on a ballot isn’t as simple as it should be. Both sides have their propaganda. And that’s exactly what it is, propaganda. So how are we supposed to know what is best? It’s easy to just shut it all out. To become indifferent. To become apathetic.

But I think (and this may just be my optimism showing though) that most people aren’t apathetic. We’re overwhelmed. So, why did I decided theapathetic.com would be a great URL for my blog? Irony I guess you could say. Or sarcasm. I am very interested  in the goings on of the world. But there’s so much junk in the news that it’s hard to get to the important stuff. Am I going to tell you what’s important? Hardly (although, I imagine what I write about will certainly be important to me…).

I simply find the name of this site to be fitting for me. A heavy dose or irony and sarcasm mixed with just a hint of truth and seriousness.

A few months ago, I found the 100 thing challenge blog. I don’t remember where I heard about it. I don’t remember why I thought about it. Probably something we discussed in a class I took last Spring made me think about it. Anyway, I thought it sounded like a good way cut back on spending by seriously considering how badly I wanted/needed whatever item I was about to purchase. It also seemed like a great way to start getting rid of some of the crap I have collected in a very short time (relatively speaking) that is cluttering up our apartment.

So, two months later, finals are over, I’m done with classwork, my family has left, we’re not out of town with my wife’s family, and I’m out of excuses. I have finally begun my Challenge. I decided to start easy this weekend but going through my clothes. I filled up two garbage bags of clothes that are now waiting to be donated. I think my next task will be to start going through our extra room to get rid of things in there. Once I’ve gotten rid of any obvious items, I guess I will have to start counting and making the tough decisions about what stays and what goes.

I think now is a good time to list my rules. Some or most of these probably came from Dave, but I can’t seem to locate the post I found a few months ago. So I’m not sure which are ones I came up with and which ones I’m stealing from him! Sorry!

1. I will attempt this challenge for one year (12 months) and we’ll see how it goes. I’ll reevaluate at that point.
2. Essential personal hygiene items don’t count (toothbrush, razor, deodorant, etc). Non-essential personal hygiene items do count (beard trimmer, cologne)
3. Clothes will count, but socks and underwear won’t (I may group my undershirts and count them as 1 item, haven’t decided yet)
4. Like Dave, this only counts for my personal possessions. My wife is not participating so common items and her items don’t count. I’ll try not to cheat and count things as hers that aren’t…
5. I am not counting my books. For some this might defeat the whole purpose, but I have over 250 books and I’m not getting rid of them. I love them. I like owning them, recommending them, and lending them out. However, I’ve only read around 100 of them, so I’ve decided I will not be purchasing any more until I put a more sizable dent in the ones I already own. I’m just starting the challenge but the moratorium on book buying went into affect a few months ago (and made my birthday rather difficult since I usually ask for books almost exclusively…)
6. This is possibly the biggest issue people might have: I’m giving myself an escape. We do have a garage in our new place which is wonderful for storage. I reserve the right to store items for a year  (the length of this initial challenge). If in 12 months, I didn’t need that item, I will get rid of it for good. Otherwise, if I really need it, I can always go dig through the boxes in the garage until it is found.
7. I guess #6 creates a new rule. Next July I will be cleaning out my garage.
8. New items are acceptable. But it must replace an old item.

That’s it. Those are my rules. This is not necessarily an anti-consumerism exercise. I am in marketing, and I think it would probably just sound hypocritical if I said it was. I see this as a way to cut back on spending, cut back on clutter and unused objects, and most importantly reevaluate my priorities.