Anti-Clutter Bias

Miss O'Hara gets a lot of things right, but I don't agree with this anti-clutter rant.

There is a lot to be said for not just regularly de-cluttering, but for being neat in general. "Out of sight, out of mind" isn't necessarily true... And it is an irritant, however minor - but it's one that needn't be.

I read somewhere this week that when we have clutter in our lives physically, it's cluttering up our minds as well; it might sound New-Agey to some, and it would have to me as well if I weren't so aware of clutter's effect on me personally... if ridding my home of unnecessary things will not only make my home look more fabulous but help my brain function better as well, I'm all for it!

It's possible the opposite is true - One's brain may become more cluttered from having to remember where all those various items are hidden away, especially after repeated re- and re-re- organizing. It's much easier just to not let clutter bother you.

Next, true but misleading:

This makes sense from a spiritual perspective as well. It is undeniable to anyone with even a slight knowledge of science that God is a god of orderliness, of precise systems (thankfully, He goes far easier on us).

Oh yes, while walking through a forest, it is obvious how the leaves rake themselves, the trees grow in straight lines, and the roots contain themselves to neat little squares... Not.

Keeping our homes organized on the surface is all well and good, but if opening closets and drawers reveals an absolute disaster, what does that reveal about our hearts, our minds, our spirits?

And what does it reveal if someone judges others on the contents of their closets and drawers?

In the end, I think getting rid of clutter and surrounding ourselves with orderliness is a wonderful step not only to better mental health, but emotional and spiritual health as well. Keeping in mind that God crafted the world around us in such a beautifully ordered cycle, doesn't it make sense that if we do the same with the physical things around us, our relationship with God - and with others as well, by default - will improve as well?

It won't if you make an idol of orderliness.