Design gurus often talk about simplicity in design. That by using less to convey your point you actually are able to convey your message to a broader audience. That you’re able to be more relevant with less rather than more.

I think this idea would be better applied in our everyday lives.

In my life the most fulfilling moments, the most life altering times, have happened when I cared very little for what I possessed, or what I wanted to posses.

Since George Carlin died I’ve been watching quite a bit of his work. He was before my time, and I hadn’t seen much of his material. With all the hullabaloo over his death I decided I should check out his work. I’ve been incredibly impressed with what he did.

It seems that he had a penchant for calling people out on their absurdities. Sometimes in a gentle way, sometimes in a not so gentle way.

Here’s a video that I really enjoyed (warning it contains some blue language):

He talks about how our houses are just a great big pile of “stuff.” I couldn’t agree more. It seems as though increasingly our lives are valued by how many gadgets we can accumulate. Life is not about enjoying the time you have, but rather minimizing the time you have to think about the life you’re wasting.

I need my Xbox360 so I can escape my job. I need my job so I can afford my Xbox360, and my lease on my BMW. College was great, and now I get to pay it off for the next thirty years. I should get a mortgage and buy a house, everyone else is doing it. That must be what will make me happy.

My parents suggested that if everyone else was running off a cliff, we should think twice before doing the same thing. Perhaps we should apply the same logic to walking down the long slow path of an utterly meaningless life.

If you could do anything you wanted, what would it be?