Most of all, I think that's a personal decision. If the wife wants to get rid of stuff, let her get rid of HER stuff. Your stuff is your stuff, plain and simple. When my sister's kids ended up with too much stuff they never played with, she talked to them about the joy of giving to those less fortunate, then let THEM pick out what toys they wanted to give to charity (Salvation Army, Goodwill, or our local charity, Christmas Cheer.) Then THEY had the joy of giving and sharing and it wasn't something forced upon them. Just MHO.
I agree with you both. I don’t like people telling me what to do and think what you do with your stuff is a personal decision…Let’s see if TWI likes folks telling them what to do by referring to it as Burn Uncle Harry Day.
During my 23 years in TWI, I gave away or threw away many things which I deeply regret no longer having. I gave a young woman my collection of demitasse cups that I dearly loved because she wanted them so badly and I wasn't displaying them at the moment, so I thought I should not have them at all.
My advice to you is to hang on to whatever you think might miss, whether you are utilizing it on a daily basis or not.
Oh and one other thing - Uncle Harry is dead and has been so for quite some time. And I doubt seriously if he died penniless and homeless. As I recall, he drove a Cadillac when a Ford Maverick would have done very nicely.
Wife is sold out to way doctrine any balance would be helpful.
copenhagen
I fully support the concept of Burn the Chaff Day...
Start with all TWI books, notes, media (video/audio), and graphic training aids (posters, etc.).
Continue with the wife's clothes ('cept those she is wearing at the time).
Move on with the wife's objects d'art, knick knacks, crafts, etc.
After all, you are the man of the house. You make the rules (isn't that what TWI teaches?). If you say it's chaff, it's chaff. Who does she think she is to argue with you? (Again, isn't that what TWI teaches?)
You know all the chapters and verses that TWI uses to place women in subjection? Pull 'em out and apply them. Vigorously.
If she gripes, then tell her to knock it off with all the old TWI habits. If she wants to live 'em where they are convenient to her, she can live 'em where they are inconvenient, as well.
I agree with everyone, so far, copenhagen. Your concern is well placed.
Couple thoughts and tips:
1.) "Balance" is the best way to view it. Define if you can what you're balancing.
UH Day could mean a lot of things to different people. If it's a way to demonstrate to others how much ballast you're willing to toss over the side and show how on-it-doggnit you are, I'd have to name-check Jesus. Doing it for the approval of others thins the richness of anything, even if they be the right things. But we all do it. Tempering it with some common sense, some balance will help.
What do you need? What does she need? What do you both want? Per Way-fer doctrine the man's the head of the house. Don't let no skirt tell you what to do. Set the standards, baby.
Aaah. Okay, but if you work it out between you both, balance may be in your future sensei.
2.) Keepsakes and stuff that chronicles your lives as a family together are important. They're not essential, no, very little is. But it's a matter of what you're building as a family and how you want to retain that for the future. Someday, those things will mean a lot. They do to us.
We were carting all kinds of things around for years and finally went through it all - the first time - and put together a couple boxes of stuff from our kids' early years, specific things we wanted to keep. There was a lot of other stuff - toys, games, gawd-know-what, we gave away.
3.) Give it away. If it's a Wayfers-only or a charity, others may be able to use what you don't need. Recycling can help others. If you have extra coats that don't fit anyone anymore, shoes that still have tread, books you won't read again - donate those bad boys. Right now someone's somewhere struggling to figure out how they're going to keep themselves and their kids warm tonight. That stuff will make a difference if you can get it to the right people. Donate. Have your wife stick a brochure or something in the pockets, maybe that will make it better.
4.) Wayfers can have a kind of superstitious fear of their belongings, that they can harbor spiritual influences and actual devil spirits. It's not uncommon for someone to take something they don't like and resolve their dislike on a spiritual level.
She read in the uncle harry book about if phyicals are not in order spirituals can not be in order.
Now, that's Bullshiste. Nothing against Uncle Harry but that's not true. Any numbknut can see that if our lives are in chaos it's going to be hard to get anything done. But the logic is so flawed and yet it sounds so true, as one-liners so often do.
Topic for discussion - the physicals not being in order is a constant. We can and should "do what we can" but our physical efforts will never be in order, ever, no matter what we do. Humans will never get it right, all the time. We're not perfect, we're at best well intentioned. So you have to ask yourself what "spirituals" are being constrained by what "physicals"?
The notion of a bunch of boxes in the basement holding you back "spiritually" is based on the idea of what they represent to you. If they represent something good, what's the problem? There is none. You guys just need to talk it through.
Good luck. One last point - having a bunch of crap around you don't need will impede your ablility to accumulate more and better crap you don't need. In that regard, spring cleaning can be a good idea. :)
I could never bring myself to bring anything for burn the chaff day. The whole concept reminded me too much of the films of book burnings I had seen in Nazi Germany. Here, now VP wanted to do the same thing.
There's a red flag I overlooked in my youthful naivete.
it allows more stuff to enter in. Is that spiritual enough? I dunno
see for me it is like this if i can not manage the stuff i have or even know what i have then how can i hope for anything new and hopefully better? the ten talents.
recently i was cleaning and i found stuff i wa going to go out and buy again!
I have a piece of cloth that is suppose to be a pillow i bought at walmart over ten years ago.. still not a pillow, but I have plans to make it a pillow.. this is the kind of stuff im just saying.
i do not know when it will be a pillow hopefully soon now but i still have the cloth.
it is good to go through my stuff to see what i have to get rid of stuff i can.
I have a friend who has so much stuff you can not walk through his house. his idea of good stuff but he cant tell me what the hell in in most of those boxes. and no one goes to his house. is this a good thing?
i cant clean the floor or remove dust bunnies if i have crap all over . so i am trying to throw away papers and stuff as soon as i get it but i know i have papers i do not need ads etc. here why?
i had another friend who had three houses 3 houses full of stuff she had to live with her boyfriend because all her homes had so much stuff she couldnt live in them yet she went to each house everyday to feed the cats she had in each one! she never had children and always stored alot of food and stuff... she died suddenly and now who the hell will clean all this up? a niece who has met her only a few times will get it all the homes the stuff all of it. she couldnt make it to her funeral tho. I know this is extyreme but for some it is like that.
when i was cleaning for the light bearers in the way i used to see professional couples or singles with nice homes and no furniture maybe a tv, or a bed and some sites in the closet that is all. I would wonder is this life for them to come home after eating out go to bed and wake up and day after day live with NOTHING? not because of lack of money these where nice homes just lak of time or effect to decorate.
I remember one had a baby and it was a week after the kid was born and a crib showed up ( it was rented) i dunno again i have seen both of this extreme yes it has to be a balance. indeed.
When I knew U.H., he didn't drive a Caddy... he had traded it for a Gremlin.
Not being a Wayfer anymore, I'm still interested in leading a principle-centered life. The difference is that I have accepted the liberty and responsibility to observe, define, and adhere to those principles that seem to me to be valid. Having been "out" of the Way so long, I could care less whether they line up with "what we were taught" or not.
"Stuff" has at times been a burden to me, and I've reckoned with the reality that I hung on to stuff for no good reason.... it was a poverty mentality and false economy, so I had to let that stuff go, along with the attitude. I could go further in that direction.
Giving is a good thing. I still look for ways to give that are inspired by a right spirit. Doing it quietly is good. It really does free one from the lie that the pie is too small.
Some stuff is detrimental to one's wellbeing, and ought to be "burned." Sometimes iconoclastically. But I sold my Joni Mitchell collection rather than trashing it. It made me melancholy and leaned me toward narcissism, but dam she was good! I didn't get much for it. Muslims shot rockets at ancient Buddhist statues. Others have burned books and flags and bras and effigies. Others have burned or trashed their porn collections -- that, at least, I can approve of. Some people pour their whiskey down the drain.
Like y'all have said, it's a personal decision. But sometimes it makes sense to belong to a community that has standards and accountability. Not all greasespotters have given up on the community thing. I haven't. And of course the GSC is itself a community with standards and accountability.
Well, the concept of cleaning out old crap that serves no purpose is a good one, but like all things TWI, it was used for isolation, control, and manipulation. TWI sought uniformity among the masses. They also sought all your spare money. So, why should you keep an old military jacket hanging in your closet? It doesn't conform to Way standards, and if you sell it, you can send your ABS to TWI. It's aaaalllll goood!!!
I got rid of so much stuff I now regret... geez.
If your wife is truly way-brained, you are going to have a hard time convincing her to leave your stuff ALONE. Is there any way you can find a middle ground, like: Honey, I love you, so you can throw THIS stuff out, but the stuff that is in this (room, closet, boxes, shoebox) is off limits!! Don't touch it or there WILL be a divorce!!
I'm wondering when the big pressure to burn stuff on UH (Burn the Chaff) Day started. I was in from 1972 to 1989 and, to the bet of my recollection, I never burned anything. Nor was I ever pressured to burn/get rid of anything, which is pretty funny given my packrat tendencies.
Did this practice become more intrusive in the 90s and beyond? Did "leadership" come to your house and try to coerce you to throw things on the fire? If someone had come around eyeing my Janis Joplin and Beatles vinyl, or my Jack Kerouac books, or any of my treasures, I'd have told them do burn their own darn stuff.
I do like the principle of getting rid of excess and unneeded belongings, so I make a few trips each year to the Goodwill store and other charities. But I have a hard time adhering to said principle (see first paragraph), and I surely wouldn't have liked it if someone had tried to decide for me what was excess or unneeded in my life.
Well, thanks WG. :) I appreciate the appreciation, you're appreciated!
copenhagen, hopefully your still with us and your wife didn't throw you out.
"This old thing hasn't worked right in years, it's godda go!"
My stuff is my stuff. I like your reasoning a-Dan. Makes sense. Me, I really don't let anyone outside of our family get involved in my personal stuff to the extent anyone that isn't a blood relative or extremely close friend would feel compelled to advise me on what should stay or go. I have no spriritual advisors or the like when it comes to stuff. It's my stuff, I can't see why anyone would want to worry about it. I don't worry about theirs, y'know?
That doesn't apply to someone walking through my garage who doesn't want to wear a hard hat - once you're warned ya gotta watch your step. But not all the time - right now I'm coming out of several projects, so it's a moderately mazed-out mess. I'll resort and organize a little and within an hour or two be back ready to go to some more extremely important and vital projects.
I'm wondering when the big pressure to burn stuff on UH (Burn the Chaff) Day started. I was in from 1972 to 1989 and, to the bet of my recollection, I never burned anything. Nor was I ever pressured to burn/get rid of anything, which is pretty funny given my packrat tendencies.
Did this practice become more intrusive in the 90s and beyond? Did "leadership" come to your house and try to coerce you to throw things on the fire? If someone had come around eyeing my Janis Joplin and Beatles vinyl, or my Jack Kerouac books, or any of my treasures, I'd have told them do burn their own darn stuff.
Linda,
From what I remember.......1978-1982 was when Uncle Harry Day surfaced and peaked in twi. Harry died in the Fall of 1977.......his birthday was March 17th (I believe??.....GEE, how can I remember this stuff after all these years) and this "travel light / get rid of stuff / toss things that are holding you back / burn the chaff in your life" was a day set aside to commemorate VPW's big brother, Harry Wierwille.
At hq (1981, 82)....there was a *fire-area* for those who wanted to come and burn things before going to the Sunday Teaching Service.
When LCM became president and onward.....the concept slowly died out [especially when the Poop paper took center-stage for 2 1/2 years.
By 1994, 95 (??).....LCM stated that this concept was no longer needed. He stated that most all were living the sanctified lifestyle and were discerning on ridding evil intrusions on a regular (daily?) basis. No longer was this once-a-year concept needed.
[/i]My stuff is my stuff. I like your reasoning a-Dan. Makes sense. Me, I really don't let anyone outside of our family get involved in my personal stuff to the extent anyone that isn't a blood relative or extremely close friend would feel compelled to advise me on what should stay or go. I have no spriritual advisors or the like when it comes to stuff. It's my stuff, I can't see why anyone would want to worry about it. I don't worry about theirs, y'know?
...And I was about to say the same thing in a much "different" way. Gotta hand it to you socks, I admire your diplomacy.
having maybe a mountain of clothes.. a bottle collection that spans five decades of ardent searching.. fifteen bags of old clothes someone is planning on using to make a quilt or something SOMEDAY.. a rather fully stocked food pantry.. a half a basement of old electronic gear that doesn't mean something to anybody else..
just might make someone HAPPY?
I might make an exception, and at least as far as saying something.. when it's like two hundred cats, all produced by one version of inbreeding or another..
and seventy or more on the way..
I don't think the person needs to burn the chaff.. maybe they need some real HELP.
I think this "burn the chaff" concept.. travel light, travel far.. only really applies to the few who actually travel. But somehow they wanted even the regular Joe Believer to be ready to move at a moment's notice if gawd "opened the door"..
We zone for pets in our town . 4 per household, if you have a litter they give you a few weeks to rid of the babies then they will take them.
why? because people do not want to live next to gangs of dogs or run about cats. people who have that many animals probably do not get their shots or health checked.
As an amusing (I hope) aside, I can share the following anecdote which took place at an after-meeting in early March during my interim year at HQ (1983-84). The interim and in-residence Corps (13 and 12 respectively) were meeting with Michael Fort and he was going over some announcements when he accidentally combined the former name (Uncle Harry Day) with the then-in-vogue name (Burn the Chaff Day), and you guessed it: he actually called it "Burn Uncle Harry Day." We were quite amused. I can't remember whether Michael (who was a good guy then) caught it or not.
I miss the kind, sometimes mis-speaking Michael Fort of old ... I hear the newer version is not nearly so kind nor funny. Sigh.
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DogLover
Most of all, I think that's a personal decision. If the wife wants to get rid of stuff, let her get rid of HER stuff. Your stuff is your stuff, plain and simple. When my sister's kids ended up with too much stuff they never played with, she talked to them about the joy of giving to those less fortunate, then let THEM pick out what toys they wanted to give to charity (Salvation Army, Goodwill, or our local charity, Christmas Cheer.) Then THEY had the joy of giving and sharing and it wasn't something forced upon them. Just MHO.
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T-Bone
I agree with you both. I don’t like people telling me what to do and think what you do with your stuff is a personal decision…Let’s see if TWI likes folks telling them what to do by referring to it as Burn Uncle Harry Day.
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copenhagen
I also think it is a personal call.
Yesterday wife got a wild hair to clean.
Next thing you know its time to practice what u harry said and burn the chaff.
She read in the uncle harry book about if phyicals are not in order spirituals can not be in order.
(was watching football did not hear much).
I for one think if have some stuff and do not want to part with it that is ok if it is
stored properly.
She wants to travel light.
copenhagen
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mstar1
She's tossing YOUR stuff???? during a football game?????
WHOA
WTF--seriously???
I'd get rid of the wife for Uncle Harry Day
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excathedra
uncle harry day reminds me of mammogram day
squeeze the titty
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waysider
I'm at a total loss as to why Uncle Harry would be considered any kind of authority on spiritual matters.
It was all about control, plain and simple.
"Burn all your bridges, sever all your ties to anything that interferes with your allegiance to the cause."
It was a stinkin' cult!
We got played by VP and his "crew".
Read Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury some time.
(451 F is the temperature at which book paper will ignite.)
Here's a link:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fahrenheit_451
Or, if you prefer, rent the 1966 film version with Oskar Werner and Julie Christie.
You might even find it at your local public library.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fahrenheit_451_%281966_film%29
I have a "bomber" jacket in my closet that a buddy of mine wore in Nam.
I've had it since 1969.
I don't care if it never sees the light of day again, but it's not going anywhere while I have a say so.
Maybe somebody should have suggested to VP that he burn one of his many vintage motorcycles to set the example for us.
They(The Bros. W.) were charlatans.
"Burn the chaff" just burns my butt!
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excathedra
can you tell us how you really feel, waysider ?
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Watered Garden
During my 23 years in TWI, I gave away or threw away many things which I deeply regret no longer having. I gave a young woman my collection of demitasse cups that I dearly loved because she wanted them so badly and I wasn't displaying them at the moment, so I thought I should not have them at all.
My advice to you is to hang on to whatever you think might miss, whether you are utilizing it on a daily basis or not.
Oh and one other thing - Uncle Harry is dead and has been so for quite some time. And I doubt seriously if he died penniless and homeless. As I recall, he drove a Cadillac when a Ford Maverick would have done very nicely.
WG
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waysider
Nope!
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markomalley
I fully support the concept of Burn the Chaff Day...
Start with all TWI books, notes, media (video/audio), and graphic training aids (posters, etc.).
Continue with the wife's clothes ('cept those she is wearing at the time).
Move on with the wife's objects d'art, knick knacks, crafts, etc.
After all, you are the man of the house. You make the rules (isn't that what TWI teaches?). If you say it's chaff, it's chaff. Who does she think she is to argue with you? (Again, isn't that what TWI teaches?)
You know all the chapters and verses that TWI uses to place women in subjection? Pull 'em out and apply them. Vigorously.
If she gripes, then tell her to knock it off with all the old TWI habits. If she wants to live 'em where they are convenient to her, she can live 'em where they are inconvenient, as well.
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coolchef
my stuff is my stuff.leave it alone
your stuff is your stuff and i will respect it and not trash it
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socks
I agree with everyone, so far, copenhagen. Your concern is well placed.
Couple thoughts and tips:
1.) "Balance" is the best way to view it. Define if you can what you're balancing.
UH Day could mean a lot of things to different people. If it's a way to demonstrate to others how much ballast you're willing to toss over the side and show how on-it-doggnit you are, I'd have to name-check Jesus. Doing it for the approval of others thins the richness of anything, even if they be the right things. But we all do it. Tempering it with some common sense, some balance will help.
What do you need? What does she need? What do you both want? Per Way-fer doctrine the man's the head of the house. Don't let no skirt tell you what to do. Set the standards, baby.
Aaah. Okay, but if you work it out between you both, balance may be in your future sensei.
2.) Keepsakes and stuff that chronicles your lives as a family together are important. They're not essential, no, very little is. But it's a matter of what you're building as a family and how you want to retain that for the future. Someday, those things will mean a lot. They do to us.
We were carting all kinds of things around for years and finally went through it all - the first time - and put together a couple boxes of stuff from our kids' early years, specific things we wanted to keep. There was a lot of other stuff - toys, games, gawd-know-what, we gave away.
3.) Give it away. If it's a Wayfers-only or a charity, others may be able to use what you don't need. Recycling can help others. If you have extra coats that don't fit anyone anymore, shoes that still have tread, books you won't read again - donate those bad boys. Right now someone's somewhere struggling to figure out how they're going to keep themselves and their kids warm tonight. That stuff will make a difference if you can get it to the right people. Donate. Have your wife stick a brochure or something in the pockets, maybe that will make it better.
4.) Wayfers can have a kind of superstitious fear of their belongings, that they can harbor spiritual influences and actual devil spirits. It's not uncommon for someone to take something they don't like and resolve their dislike on a spiritual level.
She read in the uncle harry book about if phyicals are not in order spirituals can not be in order.
Now, that's Bullshiste. Nothing against Uncle Harry but that's not true. Any numbknut can see that if our lives are in chaos it's going to be hard to get anything done. But the logic is so flawed and yet it sounds so true, as one-liners so often do.
Topic for discussion - the physicals not being in order is a constant. We can and should "do what we can" but our physical efforts will never be in order, ever, no matter what we do. Humans will never get it right, all the time. We're not perfect, we're at best well intentioned. So you have to ask yourself what "spirituals" are being constrained by what "physicals"?
The notion of a bunch of boxes in the basement holding you back "spiritually" is based on the idea of what they represent to you. If they represent something good, what's the problem? There is none. You guys just need to talk it through.
Good luck. One last point - having a bunch of crap around you don't need will impede your ablility to accumulate more and better crap you don't need. In that regard, spring cleaning can be a good idea. :)
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Watered Garden
Socks,
Standing
Excellent!
WG
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Sunesis
I could never bring myself to bring anything for burn the chaff day. The whole concept reminded me too much of the films of book burnings I had seen in Nazi Germany. Here, now VP wanted to do the same thing.
There's a red flag I overlooked in my youthful naivete.
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pond
I do see the advantage in getting rid of "stuff"
it allows more stuff to enter in. Is that spiritual enough? I dunno
see for me it is like this if i can not manage the stuff i have or even know what i have then how can i hope for anything new and hopefully better? the ten talents.
recently i was cleaning and i found stuff i wa going to go out and buy again!
I have a piece of cloth that is suppose to be a pillow i bought at walmart over ten years ago.. still not a pillow, but I have plans to make it a pillow.. this is the kind of stuff im just saying.
i do not know when it will be a pillow hopefully soon now but i still have the cloth.
it is good to go through my stuff to see what i have to get rid of stuff i can.
I have a friend who has so much stuff you can not walk through his house. his idea of good stuff but he cant tell me what the hell in in most of those boxes. and no one goes to his house. is this a good thing?
i cant clean the floor or remove dust bunnies if i have crap all over . so i am trying to throw away papers and stuff as soon as i get it but i know i have papers i do not need ads etc. here why?
i had another friend who had three houses 3 houses full of stuff she had to live with her boyfriend because all her homes had so much stuff she couldnt live in them yet she went to each house everyday to feed the cats she had in each one! she never had children and always stored alot of food and stuff... she died suddenly and now who the hell will clean all this up? a niece who has met her only a few times will get it all the homes the stuff all of it. she couldnt make it to her funeral tho. I know this is extyreme but for some it is like that.
when i was cleaning for the light bearers in the way i used to see professional couples or singles with nice homes and no furniture maybe a tv, or a bed and some sites in the closet that is all. I would wonder is this life for them to come home after eating out go to bed and wake up and day after day live with NOTHING? not because of lack of money these where nice homes just lak of time or effect to decorate.
I remember one had a baby and it was a week after the kid was born and a crib showed up ( it was rented) i dunno again i have seen both of this extreme yes it has to be a balance. indeed.
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anotherDan
When I knew U.H., he didn't drive a Caddy... he had traded it for a Gremlin.
Not being a Wayfer anymore, I'm still interested in leading a principle-centered life. The difference is that I have accepted the liberty and responsibility to observe, define, and adhere to those principles that seem to me to be valid. Having been "out" of the Way so long, I could care less whether they line up with "what we were taught" or not.
"Stuff" has at times been a burden to me, and I've reckoned with the reality that I hung on to stuff for no good reason.... it was a poverty mentality and false economy, so I had to let that stuff go, along with the attitude. I could go further in that direction.
Giving is a good thing. I still look for ways to give that are inspired by a right spirit. Doing it quietly is good. It really does free one from the lie that the pie is too small.
Some stuff is detrimental to one's wellbeing, and ought to be "burned." Sometimes iconoclastically. But I sold my Joni Mitchell collection rather than trashing it. It made me melancholy and leaned me toward narcissism, but dam she was good! I didn't get much for it. Muslims shot rockets at ancient Buddhist statues. Others have burned books and flags and bras and effigies. Others have burned or trashed their porn collections -- that, at least, I can approve of. Some people pour their whiskey down the drain.
Like y'all have said, it's a personal decision. But sometimes it makes sense to belong to a community that has standards and accountability. Not all greasespotters have given up on the community thing. I haven't. And of course the GSC is itself a community with standards and accountability.
Whatever!
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TheHighWay
Well, the concept of cleaning out old crap that serves no purpose is a good one, but like all things TWI, it was used for isolation, control, and manipulation. TWI sought uniformity among the masses. They also sought all your spare money. So, why should you keep an old military jacket hanging in your closet? It doesn't conform to Way standards, and if you sell it, you can send your ABS to TWI. It's aaaalllll goood!!!
I got rid of so much stuff I now regret... geez.
If your wife is truly way-brained, you are going to have a hard time convincing her to leave your stuff ALONE. Is there any way you can find a middle ground, like: Honey, I love you, so you can throw THIS stuff out, but the stuff that is in this (room, closet, boxes, shoebox) is off limits!! Don't touch it or there WILL be a divorce!!
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Linda Z
I'm wondering when the big pressure to burn stuff on UH (Burn the Chaff) Day started. I was in from 1972 to 1989 and, to the bet of my recollection, I never burned anything. Nor was I ever pressured to burn/get rid of anything, which is pretty funny given my packrat tendencies.
Did this practice become more intrusive in the 90s and beyond? Did "leadership" come to your house and try to coerce you to throw things on the fire? If someone had come around eyeing my Janis Joplin and Beatles vinyl, or my Jack Kerouac books, or any of my treasures, I'd have told them do burn their own darn stuff.
I do like the principle of getting rid of excess and unneeded belongings, so I make a few trips each year to the Goodwill store and other charities. But I have a hard time adhering to said principle (see first paragraph), and I surely wouldn't have liked it if someone had tried to decide for me what was excess or unneeded in my life.
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socks
Well, thanks WG. :) I appreciate the appreciation, you're appreciated!
copenhagen, hopefully your still with us and your wife didn't throw you out.
"This old thing hasn't worked right in years, it's godda go!"
My stuff is my stuff. I like your reasoning a-Dan. Makes sense. Me, I really don't let anyone outside of our family get involved in my personal stuff to the extent anyone that isn't a blood relative or extremely close friend would feel compelled to advise me on what should stay or go. I have no spriritual advisors or the like when it comes to stuff. It's my stuff, I can't see why anyone would want to worry about it. I don't worry about theirs, y'know?
That doesn't apply to someone walking through my garage who doesn't want to wear a hard hat - once you're warned ya gotta watch your step. But not all the time - right now I'm coming out of several projects, so it's a moderately mazed-out mess. I'll resort and organize a little and within an hour or two be back ready to go to some more extremely important and vital projects.
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skyrider
Linda,
From what I remember.......1978-1982 was when Uncle Harry Day surfaced and peaked in twi. Harry died in the Fall of 1977.......his birthday was March 17th (I believe??.....GEE, how can I remember this stuff after all these years) and this "travel light / get rid of stuff / toss things that are holding you back / burn the chaff in your life" was a day set aside to commemorate VPW's big brother, Harry Wierwille.
At hq (1981, 82)....there was a *fire-area* for those who wanted to come and burn things before going to the Sunday Teaching Service.
When LCM became president and onward.....the concept slowly died out [especially when the Poop paper took center-stage for 2 1/2 years.
By 1994, 95 (??).....LCM stated that this concept was no longer needed. He stated that most all were living the sanctified lifestyle and were discerning on ridding evil intrusions on a regular (daily?) basis. No longer was this once-a-year concept needed.
Anyways.......that's the way I remember it.
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GrouchoMarxJr
...And I was about to say the same thing in a much "different" way. Gotta hand it to you socks, I admire your diplomacy.
...now where was I?...oh yeah...well, never mind.
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Ham
I wonder if "they" ever realized..
having maybe a mountain of clothes.. a bottle collection that spans five decades of ardent searching.. fifteen bags of old clothes someone is planning on using to make a quilt or something SOMEDAY.. a rather fully stocked food pantry.. a half a basement of old electronic gear that doesn't mean something to anybody else..
just might make someone HAPPY?
I might make an exception, and at least as far as saying something.. when it's like two hundred cats, all produced by one version of inbreeding or another..
and seventy or more on the way..
I don't think the person needs to burn the chaff.. maybe they need some real HELP.
I think this "burn the chaff" concept.. travel light, travel far.. only really applies to the few who actually travel. But somehow they wanted even the regular Joe Believer to be ready to move at a moment's notice if gawd "opened the door"..
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pond
We zone for pets in our town . 4 per household, if you have a litter they give you a few weeks to rid of the babies then they will take them.
why? because people do not want to live next to gangs of dogs or run about cats. people who have that many animals probably do not get their shots or health checked.
chaff the cats. lol no
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DogLover
As an amusing (I hope) aside, I can share the following anecdote which took place at an after-meeting in early March during my interim year at HQ (1983-84). The interim and in-residence Corps (13 and 12 respectively) were meeting with Michael Fort and he was going over some announcements when he accidentally combined the former name (Uncle Harry Day) with the then-in-vogue name (Burn the Chaff Day), and you guessed it: he actually called it "Burn Uncle Harry Day." We were quite amused. I can't remember whether Michael (who was a good guy then) caught it or not.
I miss the kind, sometimes mis-speaking Michael Fort of old ... I hear the newer version is not nearly so kind nor funny. Sigh.
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