When I first started reading this work, it immediately reminded me of the hilarious George Carlin’s “STUFF” skit on how much “stuff” we tend to produce, buy and keep. As with any good comedian, he put a hilarious spin on the truth, and allowed us to take a look at our stuff-hoarding ways as Americans. Stuff we put in storage, stuff we drive around in our cars, stuff we tote and on our persons, stuff we garage, stuff we keep in our closets, pantries, attics, stuff, stuff, stuff. It also reminded me of a book a friend had given me upon leaving the Patent Office to commence my writing career – Your Money or Your Life, by Joe Dominguez & Vicki Robin (which of course I’ve since revisited).

 

See, I’ve always considered myself pretty much a minimalist. Not keeping too much ‘stuff’, with the largest quantity of my possessions lying in my books (and of course apparel). Not long ago, as I made a cross-country move from the Pacific Northwest to the Coast of Georgia. I pretty much left everything behind. Granted, I was undergoing a major life change at the dawn of a divorce, but it wasn’t too difficult for me to leave much of my possessions behind: furniture, clothes, hot tub, automobile, etc. However, the one thing that I did ship across these United States was my library.

 

Reading Fromm now has reminded me of the balance I’d like to strike between my having and being modes of existence. So as I’ve challenged myself on having versus being with what I consider my most valuable possessions, a sizable portion of my library has been dismantled. I’ve gone through scores of my hardbacks and paperbacks and begun the being-process with my library. So far, I have given hundreds of books away. Books that I never really thought about parting with are now with Goodwill, friends, neighbors, family; and many are selling right now as you read this on Amazon.com:

 

But lo, I am only in the second chapter of Fromm, I shudder to think about what other changes I may undergo in my paradigms of thinking and living and being! However, if they pertain to continued personal growth, I welcome them all.