Clutter..

"From the ignorance of the rope a snake appears; from knowing the rope it does not appear."


It's an old Indian saying, "To mistake a rope for a snake". Rajju sarpavat. In darkness or because of fear, a rope may be perceived as a snake. In short, an illusion may distress you, and the reason for the illusion is a lack of knowledge.


How many things in life do we "hold on" to? I was born in a family that did not even throw away broken teacups, who knew what they could be used for later? These same people allowed relatives who had bitterly fought over property matters to come back into the house, because it was the "correct" thing to do, smiling, drinking tea with them, and hating each moment.


We, however, grew up in an age of Vaastu, Feng Shui et all, which constantly says, GET RID OF CLUTTER! Now the first step to comply, of course was to sort clothes and shoes that I had not worn for a year or more, and donate them to an orphanage. The second step was crockery, cutlery and gadgets. Then, suddenly, knowledge took over. Clutter is not in the physical environment alone.


Relatives you do not trust, those who have let you down in the past, people who call themselves your "friends" because of certain motives that do not match yours, why are they still in your life? Are you, like my mother, hoarding them for a day you may need them? Do they, in some illusion, appear to be more useful than they can ever really be?


"Useful" again, is a word that needs to be explained. "Use" for me is anything I value. Anyone who makes me smile or adds value, even by way of words or presence is "useful" to me, it is not necessarily a material gain. There's someone who needs me or my support, I provide what that person needs, and I feel good about doing my duty, or being a nice person. "Useful" to me.


Someone who makes you veer towards negative feelings, doubt, mistrust, fear.. is not useful, and can therefore be classified as clutter. While I say this, it's a fact that the world is changing, and relationships, perceptions, everything changes with time. However, would you wear a shoe that made your toes bleed every time you wore it? And if you didn't, what would be your justification to wrap it in silk and store it in the loft? Give it to someone whose feet may fit it better, or throw it away if it's really bad for everyone.


Lack of knowledge is a reason for putting up with pain and things and relationships that do no more than clutter our lives, but once we know that certain things add no value to our lives whatsoever, what's the excuse to hold on?


When there are no broken cups in the house, even if you pick up a cup with your eyes closed, you'll always pick one that's of use to you. Isn't it?