THOUGHTS ON MATTERS OF ENOUGH, PLENTY AND/OR TOO MUCH

In the last post, I wrote about making quiet time in my life, a day and a week at a time.  In a broader spirit of scaling back/simplifying, I'm looking to identify those areas where I have too many choices.  I know clothing is one.  A Harvard study found that too many choices delay decisions. That isn't my experience with clothing.  Faced with all my choices, I regularly settle on something "tried and true," something I wear "all the time."  Why not then pass on/re-purpose those things I no longer wear because they "are weary,"  no longer fit or no longer suit my style?

And what about social activities, food in the cupboard--and more?  How do I know when I have passed the line from enough or plenty to too much?  How does one know she has come to the tipping point?  

The tipping point is that critical threshold at which a tiny addition can qualitatively alter the state or development of that which is being examined. Malcolm Gladwell in his book, The Tipping Point, looks to e-mail as an example of "developing immunity."   "The more e-mail we get, the shorter and more selective and more delayed our responses become," he states.  The e-mails that delighted us when they were few become less satisfying as the number increases.  We develop immunity.

With clothing, I'm confident I have reached a state of "immunity."  With social activities, I'm not so sure. There I will continue to apply "the pleasure principle."  So long as the response is one of delight, inspiration and/or joy, I will continue as I've been doing, only in a context that includes more quiet time. 

Comments

[Sergio]

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