Today I’d like to share one of my favorite quotes, from Henry Thoreau’s Walden:
“It is desirable that a man […] live in all respects so compactly and preparedly that, if an enemy take the town, he can, like the old philosopher, walk out the gate empty-handed without anxiety.”
I’ve often wondered, if the place I live was suddenly struck by political unrest or natural disaster, could I walk out the door and leave everything behind?
Ten years ago, I might have found this difficult. I was in a more “accumulative” phase of my life, building a household as a young adult. I put a great deal of thought into each purchase, expressing my identity, in some respects, through my choice of clothing, housewares, furniture, and décor. I appreciated aesthetics and good design, and hunted down unique and one-of-a-kind “treasures” to own. Walking away from it all would have been at least mildly distressing.
After a decade of decluttering, purging, and practicing a minimalist lifestyle, I’ve become significantly less attached to my possessions. I own very little, and actually take pains to avoid acquiring anything too expensive, precious, or sentimental. I still appreciate art and design, but I’d rather meet my needs with things that are “good enough,” than invest in pieces I’ll feel obligated to keep the rest of my life.
I’m often reminded of this quote when I hear news reports of forced evacuations due to hurricanes or forest fires. There are often those who stay behind to “defend” or “protect” their homesteads, risking their own lives in order to do so. I, on the other hand, would be the first one out of there and headed to safety!
I wouldn’t give a second thought to most of the stuff I own, and the only possession I’d have difficulty leaving behind is my laptop. However, my distress would be caused by losing the information, not the device itself. Therefore, I back up essential data to both physical media and the cloud, so that the information exists independent of the hardware. Because everything with “memories” is digitized — photographs, letters, postcards, etc. — I don’t have photo albums or sentimental items that would be heartbreaking to lose.
In general, all the “things” in my life can be replaced; and in some cases, I may not even bother to replace them.
I’ve been on my minimalist journey for awhile, some years making more progress than others, but generally continuing on the same path. My latest move (from the US to the UK) was immensely valuable in “releasing” me from my stuff, both physically and mentally.
I’ve pondered the above quote from Walden for years, holding it up as an ideal to which to aspire. I’m thrilled to finally be able to say, and know in my heart to be true, YES, if the circumstances warranted, I could now walk out the gate, empty-handed without anxiety.
What about you? Could you leave it all behind? Is there anything in particular you couldn’t bear to lose?
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This is a great philosophy. Not only does it inspire me to plan a day where I finally back up my files (first step: go through my computer with the “delete” button). It also inspires me to learn what is really a necessity and be prepared in case something like this happens.
I am glad and releived to say, the only ‘thing’ I would take is the family laptop. (with all our photos, bank-, insurance details, birthcerts etc scanned) Once my husband and children are safe, apart from the laptop, I would not miss anything.
Since I was a small child, I have always felt happier as a minimalist. However, it was only a few years ago that I coulp put words on it and made the conscious decision to ‘come out’, admit my minimalism and act on it is a more radical way.
I think that I could too. The only irreplacables are my pets and my husband, so I guess that *actually* my most treasured possessions should be a first aid kit and the traveling cages for the pets should we need to evacuate.
You answered perfectly for me; though I have some heirlooms, and actually have lived through my parents’ house fire, in which everything was lost (including my two beloved older dogs), in thinking through this question, the only things I would want with me are DH and our dogs (two who survived the fire, and two new rescues). And a BIG bag of dog food:).
I’m totally with you. Attached though I am to various things (although less so than I used to be), I have recently got pets and I having them at this stage in my journey to becoming more minimalist has really hit home to me how few other things are important. As long as they and my husband are safe, I’m happy. I’ve got rid of most of my sentimental keepsakes, and the remainder I wouldn’t miss much if it got destroyed (aside from one childhood cuddly toy which I confess I am irrevocably attached to). The only other stuff I would be upset about losing in a disaster would be important documents (purely because of the hassle of replacing it all – I really need to digitise it all!), and useful stuff that is expensive to replace (but I guess that would all be insured anyway). I would be upset if my house was damaged,because we spent a lot of time and effort renovating it, but it’s not the most important thing.
Wow! I love the quote and the post and have really enjoyed reading all the comments! I have a lot of thinking to do… I absolutely could not(!) walk away right now. I’m going to look into storing my paperwork and files and the cloud. And, I’m going to pack that backpack right away! Thanks for the good ideas!
It is always so uplifting to read the things that you write ,just reading seems to free me .I could easily walk away from everything but a family photo album .I must do something about that ,maybe its time to give the children their photos
I have been pondering this today and I realised that I could not walk away empty handed without anxiety. I am an artist and so I have stacks of artwork that I have done which is irreplaceable, along with a large supply of tools and materials for art. I guess I need to just focus on enjoying these things in the here and now, just in case a catastrophe does ever take them from me!
I think it is interesting that you mention ‘good enough’ here. I can definitely see where you are coming from, it helps prevent attachment to things and the like, which obviously has advantages. but I am still attracted to minimalism as a way of having better things than you could have before, having one very good thing rather than several mediocre.
i do think i should digitise my letters and bits. not sure i could get rid of them yet, certainly not all of them. but one of my summer projects is definitely choosing my favourite bits to keep and making a scrap book.
thanks for the thought provoking topic
Things I must take with me: cat (Jack), grandmother’s china doll, computer “sticks,” iPod, nook, folder of photos of family/friends/students, map, compass. And cords and batteries for above.
Ah, electronic devices require batteries, cords, outlets…
But what if there is no more digitizing/electricity/outlets?
Then 5 books (To Kill A Mockingbird, Dante’s Inferno, Shakespeare’s Works, Farenheit 451, and something comic… not sure what but laughter would be necessary), folder of photos, doll, Jack… map. Matches, candles, batteries, flashlight. Blank journals and a box of pens, pencils. Pencil sharpener. Pastels.
Kibble. For Jack.
In the Bush years, I used to have a mental checklist, so I could throw Jack and books into car and head for Canada. Cans of food not requriing heating/cooking, water, blankets, instant coffee, cash, maps. Not quite paranoid but…
I have tried to keep life simple and not buy a lot of junk, but I do save up for quality products that cost a lot of money. But like you said, I am now more liking to take these possessions with me throughout my entire life, because they hold value in my life. it is those quality items that we have saved for and search for that would be difficult to let go of.
Thanks for sharing Walden’s quote. It has recalled a special conversation I had with best friend of mine in Banyan Tree Rooftop Bar in Bangkok 4 years ago. I have forgotten about it and stopped pursuing minimalism, getting lost in the ‘me-too’ money-power chasing world. I am glad that I have come across your blog today which has delighted my day;)
I could walk away from it all with not one ounce of hesitation- as long as I had my son & my two dogs.
Yes, I could. Grab hubby and the two dogs and I could just leave. Admittedly, I had to think about it for a moment, but can honestly say, yes. That is a very good feeling and realization, thanks Francine! :)
I’m a little late on this but I just discovered the blog and am absolutely loving it! For a while, I’ve felt like I have too much stuff and felt a little odd because I’m incredibly low-maintenance (no make-up, don’t have a preference for brands or materials, etc.). I’m working towards a simpler lifestyle that suits me better but I still have so much stuff (which would be nothing for some people). This post really got me thinking and Matt’s comment really struck me as true. Because I still have a lot of “stuff”, I wouldn’t mind letting all of it go because its replaceable. But if I put the effort into getting good, long-lasting things, I wonder if I’d be less inclined to part with those things. Kind of like how I couldn’t let my ipad go purely because of its monetary value… Though with other things, it’d be on a smaller level and not solely money.
I believe you spend a third of your life without a lot of possessions,a third of your life acquiring stuff and a third of your life getting rid of it. I am 61 and live near Aspen, where space is at a premium price. My storage unit is out of control. I realize I will probably never have a home for all this stuff and I am trying to cowgirl up and walk away from it all…including photographs too. Ouch. Seriously, what do I NEED and what do I USE? Time to get real. Hope I can be BRAVE enough to do this, I just can’t pay store it anymore. Wish me luck!
I need my husband, children, grandchildren and the cats. When there’s a fire drill, I put on shoes, a jacket and grab my purse and cell phone. When I travel, I carry all the medicines I need separately in my tote bag. That’s the thing I spend the most money on, the medicine I need. I just thought of more to give away in answering your question.
A year later, we have emptied some shelves, and since my son moved out, his dresser and closet are empty except for a few things of my mother’s. She moved near us to a nursing home. I got rid of a lot of craft supplies and cooking supplies because I wasn’t using them. There still isn’t much I need to keep except I have some real Native American silver jewelry. I could put that in my purse.
I was looking at some real jewelry and trying to figure out when I would wear it. Then I realized most of the time I wear earrings and a few bracelets or earrings and a necklace and there are things I just don’t wear. We don’t get dressed up very often. Maybe five or six times a year.I wear junk jewelry when we go on a cruise or an out of town trip because I don’t want to lose something nice.
I bought some earrings and realized that what I consider valuable are about $20 a pair and can be replaced. I keep a few pieces of real jewelry and that’s it. The real pieces are mostly in our safe deposit box.
I was thinking back to the last time I heard the tornado sirens and the sky got dark. The kids work in brick buildings, I was in a bank vault and I hoped the cats were hiding in the bathtub. All my artworks are prints. Nothing is one of a kind. I would grab a few pictures, my medicine, my cats, my purse and go. We talked to cousins who evacuated due to wildfires nearby, pretty much the same. If western civilization collapses, that’s another story.