Karen Karn

I've gathered together a few items to purge, but I realised, as soon as I started thinking about what to get rid of, this game  is going to be a huge challenge. Not only will finding [30(30+1)/2] items be difficult, but also deciding how to get rid of them. Today's item is a bag of used, plastic carrier bags. I try, as much as possible to use reusable bags when I go shopping, but there are days when the groceries just don't all fit into the bags I have with me and I need to buy a plastic one. These accumulate in the cupboard under the sink. So now, I have this big bag of plastic carriers. What do I do with them? I can't, in good conscience, just throw them away, knowing that they'll go in some landfill and never biodegrade or go to the incinerator and add further to the toxic fumes. Is that really what I have to do? Apparently, yes. If I'm going to play this game properly, it seems I need to suspend my environmentalist conscience for 30 days. There&

I saw this in my Instagram feed this morning. minimalismfilm.com I don't know, either. I read somewhere that it's perfectly natural to want. As a species we are evolving, and part of evolution is to strive to achieve something more than that which lies within our immediate grasp. From the beaks of finches to fiscal ambitions, it's all about becoming better, adapting to achieve success. I understand that Joshua Becker and Ryan Nicodemus and the new minimalists are talking about mindless consumerism, the incessant desire to fill the God-shaped hole with something that bears no resemblance to God, material goods such as the latest iPhone, a new dining set or this season's handbag/haircut/shoes. I understand that The Minimalists , who I admire greatly, have been at the top of the corporate ladder, surrounded by all their material possessions and found the hole even more gaping. Aside from manic over consumerism, to want isn't always a mindless exercise.