Figure 1: Overview of the structure
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Given some pretty scary worst-case scenarios, and some rather vague specifications, what could the solution look like, at least broadly? What follows are some general design rules, roughly classified.
As I mentioned in the introduction to the "Bachelor's Kit", this section of the web site targets some material aspects of life, but the spiritual life has such an effect on our material decisions, that I have to at least recall some spiritual principles here.
If your life is centered around some material good, like money, no "Bachelor's Kit" will save you. Material objects must serve us [Lk 12:34]. We must not be at the service of material objects. Idolatry of material objects takes many forms, for example "furniture-worshipping" (which means you need a huge apartment, large moving vans, expensive insurance, etc.), or "Attic-worshipping" (which means your living environment is transformed into a warehouse filled with the most useless clutter imaginable), etc.
Our material objects don't exist to give us everlasting happiness here on Earth. If you fall into this error, your material choices will be distorted. For example, you might place huge importance on an expensive home entertainment system, or a fancy summer cottage, or fall into "extreme survivalism" and waste your time preparing for "The End Of The World As We Know It", etc.
There isn't much use trying to come up with material objects or methods that will compensate for your spiritual diseases. If you are an alcoholic, for example, don't waste your time choosing the best mattress for the price. Whatever savings you might make will be wasted on beer. Get help first. I could give more examples, like somebody who is addicted to laziness and daytime TV (You won't be able to acquire the skills needed to get and keep a good job, if you waste your leisure time), or somebody who is so selfish and proud that nobody wants to share an apartment with him or her (which would greatly reduce their cost of living), etc.
This is the last "Spiritual Design Principle". It sort of sums up all the previous ones, as well as making us aware that the other extreme is possible, i.e. to try to solve material problems with spiritual remedies. For example, if what you need is a good job with a good paycheck, "Hail Mary's" are not enough.
We are "social animals", as Philosophers say. We couldn't exist without society, and we wouldn't even be here if it hadn't been for the first "society" we were born into (our family). I can't list here everything that society gives us materially, since in a way it's everything! Think about the food you eat (you probably didn't grow it, or transport it to the market, etc.), or the clothes you wear, or perhaps the computer you're using to read this (imagine all the men who worked to invent computers!). I'll therefore only indicate a few rules that are sometimes forgotten.
Don't waste your money buying material objects in an attempt to "insulate" yourselves from social problems. Instead, get involved in Politics (of course, intelligently and virtuously).
Often, we can simplify our material lives by participating in shared ownership of some objects. Some examples: sharing an apartment, public libraries, mass transit, buying one lawn-mower for many neighbors, etc.
Some problems cannot be solved otherwise than by insurance. Remember insurance is just another manifestation of solidarity. Take for example fire insurance. We know every year "X number" of houses will burn down. So everybody contributes a little bit to a pot of money (i.e. insurance premiums), and that money is distributed to the unfortunate few who lose everything that year because of fire.
Minimizing the number of material belongings is one of the best ways to lower costs and maintenance efforts, to increase mobility and ease of replacement, etc. Every additional material object means money to buy it, effort to maintain it and carry it when you move, worries about theft and damage, etc.
Some examples:
- eating habits that are healthy but simple, and which eliminate cookbooks,
complex utensils and cookware;
- hobbies that are just as fun, but which require less objects;
- a hairstyle that eliminates comb, hair dryer and shampoo;
- souvenirs about your family and friends that bring back just as many good
memories, but that are much smaller, or even totally electronic;
- a normal spiritual life, instead of trying to fill your emotional void with a
dog, or cat, or a parakeet;
- etc.
As a quick rule-of-thumb, if you don't use something several times a year, get rid of it.
See also "Computers and the Internet" here below.
You can often reduce the number of objects by making one object perform several roles. Some examples: a pail which double as a garbage can, a bed which doubles as a coat rack, etc.
Of course, the most important of these technological advances is the computer (see below). But there are many other cases. Some examples which happened to me: getting a telephone with an integrated answering machine (which replaced a large telephone and a separate answering machine), a knock-down bed which replaced three pieces of furniture (bed, desk and closet), a comfortable folding rocking chair which replaced a large and heavy reading chair, a small microwave oven which replaced a large stove, etc.
Often, a category of objects can be accumulated indefinitely. You then have to choose an appropriate "Limiting Container", and stick to it. For example, you decide (based on your job) the number of linear centimeters of shelf space you really need, and build your bookshelves accordingly. (If a little voice in your head tells you: "But I'll always need more books!", you have a psychological problem, not a shelf space problem). Then, once your bookshelves are full, when you buy a new book, you have to take an old one out and give it to the local public library. You can also use this principle for music CDs, for cleaning supplies, your kid's toys, etc.
Physical mobility is good, simply because if things get bad where we currently are, we can go somewhere else where things aren't so bad. I use the expressions "bad" and "go somewhere else" very broadly here. It can mean grabbing your wallet and winter coat and running out of a burning house in the middle of the night, or putting all your material belongings in a van and moving to another Province where there are more jobs, etc.
Figure 1: Overview of the structure
If you need to move quickly from point A to point B, you should be able to easily select a sub-set of your material belongings which is appropriate to the time you have to move. This structure also helps establish priorities for your purchase efforts (start with the smallest circle).
Some bad examples I've seen in other apartments: a huge and heavy sofa that unfolds into an (uncomfortable) bed, or very large and antique bookcases, etc. If you really need something big and heavy, buy the kind that you can easily dismantle into smaller parts that can be carried by one person.
It is amazing how easy it is to get by without a car if you chose a well-located apartment or house, lose weight, and dress appropriately for the weather.
To reduce vulnerability to failures, component redundancy is important.
Examples: the flashlight, which is so important, and neither too heavy or bulky or expensive to have two of them. Same thing for the toque, mittens and wool socks.
Examples: the jacknife can up to a certain point replace the knife, or the raincoat with several fleece jackets which can replace the winter parka, etc.
If you have an emergency fund (normally provided by some kind of insurance), and a good list of your belongings (thanks among others to the "Bachelor's Toolkit", you have a "virtual copy" of your possessions.
Thank God, we live in an era where computers and the Internet exist. I continue to be amazed at how much computers and the Internet can improve our material life.
See among others "Which Computer Should I Buy?".
More and more, we'll be able to use electronic books. There is already a vast quantity of good books available free online. Many other books can also be purchased in electronic versions (like dictionaries). As technology improves, reading books on your computer will be more and more enjoyable.
With a good pair of headphones, a laptop can be your only electronic entertainment device. You can watch good DVDs, listen to music, visit museums all over the world, etc.
Some examples: scanning your picture albums and just keep the electronic version, or downloading the electronic version of your calculator's User's Manual and recycling the large paper copy, or adding a bookmark in your web browser pointing to some Government forms, instead of keeping the paper copies of those forms, etc.
We live in a material environment. If we acquire some basic skills and tools that let us modify that environment, we can live more comfortably, for less money. Some examples: knowing how to fix a leaky faucet, or installing a new door lock, or building some simple furniture, etc.
Just kidding!
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