The Entrepreneur» zen http://chrishaueter.com Experiments in Creating Value Sun, 23 May 2010 18:27:56 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 Simplicity, beauty, and focus http://chrishaueter.com/simplicity-beauty-and-focus/ http://chrishaueter.com/simplicity-beauty-and-focus/#comments Sun, 11 Jan 2009 05:52:09 +0000 chris http://www.chrishaueter.com/?p=3 Have you ever dreamt that you lived in a tiny house?  OK, maybe it’s just me.  I have this recurring image in my mind of a small (like 200 square feet) mud home lit by a small glassless window with a curtain drawn across it.  There are very few items in the home: an oil lamp, wooden bowls, a low wooden table, and a rolled-up mattress.

I could live in a house like that.  It’s not that it is poor or that I dislike wealth or fine things; what appeals to me is the emptiness, the simplicity.  

When my living space has too many things in it, my life feels cluttered.  Each thing requires some portion of my attention and time.  Really, the clutter irritates me, so I either ignore it, organize it, or eliminate it – all of which require time, effort, and concentration.  As a result, my desire to accumulate posessions has been slowly decreasing.

Isn’t it crazy to think that, even with the recession, Americans are among the richest people on this planet?  How does the gluttony of consumption affect our happiness?  

My brother Chandler basically got rid of nearly everything he owned.  Perhaps I will do the same myself.

Please share any thoughts or comments in the comments below.

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