by Kelly Ann Griffin

Created on: June 25, 2010

According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, clutter means, “to run in disorder.” The word is derived from the Middle English word, clotteren, meaning to clot. A person who has had a stroke or heart attack knows firsthand that the act of clotting is very dangerous when it occurs within our veins. In the same manner, clotting up our lives with stuff is dangerous. Running our lives in disorder produces stress, and stress causes many known physical and emotional ailments. Most Americans and Westerners in general would agree that things seems to cling to us, piling up wherever there is a free space, and forming themselves as permanent fixtures in our homes. Most of us would also agree that living in clutter is not beneficial, nor desired. Then, why do we have so much clutter, and why is it so hard to give up the cluttering habit? The answer lies in our cultural fixation and prizing of things, otherwise referred to as materialism.

In comparison to the rest of the world, the United States is a blessed nation. The poorest of Americans would be considered wealthy in third world countries. Most of us have not had to worry about where our next meal was coming from nor if we would recover the next time we fell ill. Yet, starvation, sickness, and inadequate shelter are a constant reality and threat among the majority of the world's populations.

Americans, on the other hand, have the money and opportunity to buy luxuries. Our standard of living is extremely high. We have elaborate malls, beautiful clothes, an abundant selection of food, and amazing technologies. We have the Internet, where we can buy practically anything from our living rooms, and it is delivered to our door. According to Internet World Stats, an International website with current Internet usage statistics, seventy-six percent of the North American population has access to the Internet, compared to thirty-seven percent of South America and twenty-three percent of Central America. Immigrants continue to give up everything to come to our country; “America” remains a place where the streets are lined with gold.

With our profuse wealth, we have bought into the subtle lie that money is the answer, and the acquisition of things brings happiness. We have placed terrible worth in our stuff and have clotted up our lives from the real answer to joy. Ultimately, we can no longer see our need for God; we believe we are able to provide all that we need by ourselves and our paychecks. The parable

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