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β€Ί Home β€Ί Articles β€Ί Non-Clutter Blindness: Mirror Image Of "Clutter Blindness", Or "It's All Garbage And Should Be Discarded" β€Ί

Non-Clutter Blindness: Mirror Image Of "Clutter Blindness", Or "It's All Garbage And Should Be Discarded"


An example from personal experience - a frustrated family member, more than one even, looks at the possessions, and declares "it's all garbage", or "it's all worthless".

Never mind that there were, right at that very time, right in the direction they were looking / pointing -

* working computers, in full working shape, relatively new, with abundant value by any standard, and more importantly, running services and containing data

* important documents

* tools, materials and accessories

* etc.

* even their own, presumably non-garbage, things which were kept for them on their request!

* and last and most importantly, it was my space, I did not ask for their opinion or their valuation, much less "help".

.. all they saw was garbage. ( Well, if they were to encounter their own stuff, they would probably set it aside, but still )

The logic is simple - "if there is some garbage, it's all garbage". ( "Garbage" by their definition, not mine )

They saw objectionable materials on the surface / in front, and that short-circuited their entire perception.

Their perception, based on frustration, contempt and disgust, ignored any possibility of nuance, and "filled in the blanks" that everything must be garbage.

And, on an occasion when, left unattended, they proceeded to act on it in exactly this way - to sneaky-discard, indeed all kinds of things ended up in the dumpster bin - such as

* brand new, recently purchased computer parts

* accessories - including customized ones - which were actively used by me

* bathroom supplies which I was actively using, and which had no resemblance to garbage

* parts of perfectly valid devices, again no resemblance to garbage except in their own blurred mind

By the same principle - "it's all garbage" - they were sweeping up things right and left, without paying attention, for any or all of the following reasons -

* they were in a hurry - to try to sneaky-discard as much as possible while I wasn't home - exactly like thieves

* they didn't really care about any nuance

* they didn't pay attention

"Experts" on "hoarding" always mention "cluter blindness" in those they call "hoarders" - how about this "non-clutter blindness", or overly-broad application of the label "garbage" by frustrated family members ?

Or, how about all the problems they create, such as lack of safety of one's possessions in one's own home for the keeper, by sneaky-discarding, conflict, threats ?

Applying the "when in doubt, throw it out" formula is fine - with your own possessions ; with another's possessions, it's theft. With another's possessions, the proper, respectful way is to not even move the slightest thing, and to ask permission to even touch anything. And it's not even a matter of any overreaction, it's the polite way to approach anyone else's possessions.

This, by the way, is why every Keeper must have a safe, sovereign space, where all uninvited judgement or manipulation are excluded.