How Much Do You Really Need To Carry?

Friday, 9.43pm

Sheffield, U.K.

I get ideas about what’s essential when packing my suitcase. – Diane von Furstenberg

We’re watching a travel series and I am always taken aback by just how much people seem to want to carry around with them.

The problem with things is that they load you down.

A few clothes, a book to read, something to write in, money, and you’re good to go for weeks, if not months.

It’s like we knew secrets growing up in a country without all that much.

One of the things you packed (after immodium) was a small bar of washing soap and a brush.

You could always wash your clothes in the sink and hang them up to dry.

That said, in certain places it’s the extra layers that weigh you down.

The coats, and the boots and the waterproofs and all that stuff.

Along with the tent and the neck support and the fancy aluminum water bottle.

I suppose these days having technology is also essential and that takes up space.

Although really it’s probably possible to have everything you need on a USB drive.

I recently learned about offline browsers like Kiwix.

It’s designed to provide offline access to knowledge in places where the internet isn’t that good.

You can download all of Wikipedia – it’s around 60 gigs.

That’s … the size of the £6 MicroSD card I bought recently.

All that in a package around 1cm square.

Talking of Kiwix, it’s also pointed me to resources like Wikiversity, where you can create collaborative open learning materials.

I’m not really making a point about minimalism or choosing what you love or anything like that.

It’s really more about being aware of how much stuff weighs you down.

And these days that stuff is not just physical stuff – it’s emotional, mental and digital.

I’m not sure what the answer is for most people – our brains aren’t equipped to cope with abundance – we hoard things fearing that scarcity is just around the corner.

Except now it isn’t – its a problem of too much too cheap.

It’s hardly surprising that we’re messing up the world.

On that happy note…

Cheers,

Karthik Suresh