Packing Philosophies

Isn't it funny when you think about what you really need, as opposed to what you only think you do?

I spent about three hours today packing and repacking, deciding and redeciding, trying to figure out what I really need to take with me to Ireland. I have to consider the fact that I'm going for a whole month and will probably have limited access to amenities like laundry, clean sheets, maybe even showers (but I'm well equipped with a travel-size Febreze and deodorant). On the other hand, I'm traveling alone, which means that I'll be lugging everything around cities, towns, hostels, buses, and airports all by myself. Logically, I can't justify taking seven pairs of jeans and 25 shirts. I did weed out a lot of things in the process of packing today, but the clothes were by far the easiest. The most heartbreaking thing was decreasing the number of books from eight to four... and two of the four are guidebooks... though I'll probably end up cutting one of those too. As my dad told me, they have bookstores in Ireland, too.

But all this agonizing over what I need to pack made me think about the things we need in life. And I mean really need. Many of us decide that we need something, when the truth is, we only want it. There are many millions of people out there who survive just fine without manicures, jewelry, the newest computer, the most high-tech cell phone, the biggest house, the flashiest car.

Just look at the Aran Islands, three small islands off the west coast of Ireland. These people are basically the Irish equivalent of the Pennsylvania Dutch. They still carry on "the old ways," grow and catch their own food, live off the land, they don't even speak English. I'm sure you could ask any one of them if they need wireless internet, and they wouldn't even know what you were talking about. Why is it that we all confuse need for want? Sure, there are things that make life happier, more comfortable, but aside from food, water, and shelter, is there anything else that we honestly can't live without?

I think that we could all surprise ourselves if we decided to only live with what we need. It's astonishing what we can live without. It's all a matter of perspective.