Take Out the Garbage

As I was preparing to flow this morning, my wife interrupted me with an important request: "Please take out the garbage." As I was in a meditative state, I began to contemplate the deeper meaning of this in terms of human existence.

Our lives are cluttered with the stuff of egoic needs, wants, and cravings. Our egos are not satisfied with a few good outfits but need the latest stylish clothes that fill closets. We aren't happy owning a reliable car for many years but have to trade in our perfectly good car for a brand new one every few years.

Every week, we fill the recycle and garbage dumpsters with the empty containers of all the stuff we consume. We consume it in an attempt to fill the emptiness we feel inside. Many overeat to satisfy a need for comfort and nurturance, but the comfort food makes them obese and just brings disease and premature death. For example, the number one take-out food during the coronavirus quarantine is a MacDonald's cheesburger. Instead of praying to the Holy Spirit, the Comforter, and eating well to strengthen their immune system (more on this tomorrow), people are eating comforting junk food and making themselves more susceptible to disease.

We also consume gadgets: wide-screen TVs, computers, smart phones, and video games to entertain and distract us from our purpose in life, which is the greatest adventure and most entertaining thing we can do, much more exciting than a sci-fi blockbuster or a videogame. Actually, life is an incredibly complex and realistic holographic game, but that's a subject for a future flow.

So, our lives become cluttered with stuff. Stuff fills our space and time till we realize that we need to take out the garbage, simplify our lives, and get in shape physically, mentally, and spiritually. Some people quit a high-paying but stressful job in the city and move to the country to do what they love. They may have less money and things but don't miss them, for they love the simple, uncluttered life of purpose. Finding your purpose is the subject of another flow. But the first step is to simplify your life, unclutter, and take out the garbage.