वहत इस रियल Value

Im up at 2:00 in the morning watching Hoarders on A&E. It holds my fascination like no other show on TV. Some people would call me a hoarder and maybe to some degree I am. I own that. I understand it and all its complicated reasons and problems. I am also saying that humans in general are hoarders. The difference between hoarders and rich people is that the rich can afford the space to maintain their hoarding, space to walk, room to breathe, and when theres is a problem, they can hire some one to fix it, exterminate it, clean it, remove it. People with less money dont have it so easy if they collect. They do not have the resources to maintain it. They tend not to have friends or family in which they share their environment. Affluent people maintain showcases to impress others even more than their selves. For people with less, it becomes a vicious circle into an abyss in which eventually they cannot dig themselves out of it. Their life becomes even more alienated because of shame, fear, and self loathing. Most of these people have mental health issues and could benefit from therapy and/or medication.
This said, maybe we should all look at what is truly valuable. It goes without saying that air, sun, earth, water, and each other are things no one can live without on earth. We dont value these things at all. We pollute the air, we blot out the sun, we rape the earth, we poison the water, and we abuse, use, and kill one another.
That said, lets look at what value really is. Its whatever value we assign to it. Other than the above mentioned, we dont need anything else. We dont need stuff to live. We need only the most basic food, shelter and clothing to survive. With everything else the value only exists in our minds and the worth we assign to it. Diamonds are rocks that are pretty ugly in their natural state. They are plentiful enough for everyone to have a pretty shiney. But somehow they have become precious, like gold. A few selfish greedy men control all the diamonds. When there are too many diamonds in the market and they become affordable to more people, these greedy men hoard the diamonds to make them expensive again. They spend millions on marketing campaigns to put the idea of value in our minds. Women feel unloved if they dont have a diamond and its size is the measure of how much the gifter loves them. Diamonds are pretty rocks along with other pretty rocks that exist in nature. The diamond has been made king. Millions of people suffer, are abused and even killed because of these diamonds. This doesnt seem to matter to most people because its not them that is negatively affected.
For hoarders, there is value in everything. Nothing gets thrown away because everything is valuable. Some of the things most people would not see as valuable like old food, newspapers, clothes, etc. I would say that there is more value in things than most people see. Old furniture, clothing, plants, animals, fresh food, and yet we throw these things away by the truckload. This stuff is hauled away to big holes in the ground so we dont have to deal with it anymore. We created the stuff, why do we not value it? Why is it wrong to keep something and just to fix it when it breaks? Do we realize that we will eventually choke and drown in our refuse? Where and when will it stop?
Ill tell you what I value and collect. Pretty or interesting rocks. Old furniture that can be fixed. Items from my childhood that brings me back good feelings. Items from my Grandmas life and time that remind me of our love. Things I can use in my art to creatively repurpose a new creation. Plants that were tossed because they were neglected and werent pretty anymore, animals that no one else cares about. This is just a small list of what I value and there is a reason for everything that I have. I walk the fine line between collecting and hoarding. I grew up with a hoarder, a true hoarder, as bad as it gets. I guess you could say its in my DNA or psychie. I am watchful of my habits and what I value. It gets out of hand sometimes but is dealt with when it becomes a problem. I have had therapy and am on medication which helps me keep a grip on reality. I want family and friends to visit, I am proud of my acquisitions, and I dont want to prevent anyone else from living a healthy life, including myself. I am conscious of my environment and see so clearly those who are not.
I could go on and on about this because I see it as so important for us and the planet. A drop of water will eventually find its way back to the ocean. There are shockwaves in everything everyone of us does. Lets become conscious of our world!