Full order: How the Japanese view of things can improve life
This fall for the first time in Russianbestseller Marie Kondo "Magical cleaning. The Japanese art of restoring order at home and in life." The author of the book turned the cleaning into a matter of life. Now she teaches other people to put things in order in her closet and, ideally, to apply these same skills in other areas of life. For the Western reader, Kondo's advice, which is not limited to the most utilitarian recommendations (such as "fold things into a rectangle"), may seem strange - many take the instructions of the cleaning master too literally. We understand how it is really worth interpreting the rules of life of the most organized person in the world and whether they really can help restore order in life.
Be content with little
The Japanese cultural tradition is built on the principle of minimalism. Recall what a classic Japanese tatami room looks like: there is actually nothing in it except, in fact, the tatami themselves on the floor. A closet can be hidden in the wall in which clothes and futons will lie. Sometimes in such a room you can see a Japanese chest of drawers and a table, and in a specially designated place of the "tokonoma" - several aesthetically important items (for example, ikebana), but that's all. All things perform a specific function, there is nothing distracting. Modern design houses differ only in execution, but the principle of lack of excess remains in place. The meaningful emptiness that fills a room is called “ma”, or negative space, a term familiar to anyone who draws.
Such an idea of the Japanese about minimalism is due to spiritual teachings. Emptiness, lack of fulfillment is one of the three characteristics of existence in Buddhism. Buddhism, in various forms closely woven into the culture of Japan, will be content to be content with what you have - and this deliberately humble dogma can be useful even for people far from any religion. Another pillar, Shinto, consolidated the idea that a clean house is a guarantee of good luck, even if today the majority do not directly associate it with the favor of deities. The word "kirei", that is, "pure", also means "beautiful." Japanese spiritual purity is directly related to physical rituals, such as hand washing, and general external tidiness.
However, in modern Japan, many people are prone to redundancy - with this revelation, Kondo begins his book. It is good that the foreman never saw the Soviet mezzanine. Both our and the Japanese propensity to keep everything necessary and didn’t really arise for similar reasons - the cause of this is post-war poverty and the late arrival of a market economy. Marie Kondo is sure that if people get rid of really unnecessary things, they will become much happier. Leaving aside the mystical component, which prefers to stick to Kondo, let us dwell on the facts. The clean, uncluttered space in which a person is located can significantly improve his psychological state. A tidy room helps fight depression, anxiety, and all the consequences that come with it, sleep better, and lead a much more productive life.
Kondo assures that by establishing order in the room, we restore order in the head. Of course, a clean apartment or office will not magically eliminate all problems, but it will definitely help to approach their solution calmly and rationally. The abundance of things can cause additional experiences: the less time spent on searches, washing, or, for example, shifting from one place to another, the more time is available for life itself.
Maximum visual neutrality of everyday things also helps the brain to relax while you are at home. Many are confused by Kondo’s proposal to remove labels from cosmetics or cans — how then will a person know what is in his hands. But this is only a matter of priorities: if, thanks to blank bottles and cans, it becomes easier for you, then you will surely remember where the shampoo is, and where the bath foam will be easy.
Be thankful
As you know, the Japanese are a very polite nation. This is also reflected in the language: many people know that there are several politeness registers in Japanese, which are used depending on the situation. Marie Kondo admits that every evening thanks - out loud or to herself - the bag with which she went all day. This is shocking to many Western readers: a book about cleaning slips strange anthropomorphism instead of practical advice. This is not the end of the “quirks” of the professional peace-maker of the order: Kondo requires a kind attitude to tired socks, and she always greets, kneeling, with the client's house.
Shinto - in fact, the Japanese religion - implies that spirits live everywhere. In fact, such an animation of various objects is paganism: for example, taking the legendary song about the god of the toilet and why it’s not a shame to wash the toilet. Yes, it does not seem strange to the Japanese to say thanks to the subject, but this does not at all mean that a person imagines how his bag comes to life at night and groans from fatigue. Such animation tells a lot more about the man himself than about the subject. It helps to come to terms with the world and draw a line, or, conversely, to get down to business, tune in to it, as Kondo does - to bow to the house according to the rules of conduct in Shinto shrines.
Feeling guilty before a sweater, we animate him much more than a Shinto priest
We should not forget that different cultures came to the same conclusions in their own ways (which is the story of the discovery of a medicine for malaria, for which Nobel in medicine was given this year), and cleaning is no exception. The ability to be grateful implies not only obedience - to a greater degree it reflects the inner psychological mood of a person. What Kondo explains with the help of spirituality can be interpreted from the point of view of psychology.
It is important for a person to remind that the thing that he possesses is the result of the collective forces invested in it: his own labor, the one who sold it, brought it, produced it, invented it. Consumerism creates a complete depreciation of everything that surrounds us. This, in turn, makes us not just ungrateful, but frankly miserable. It is not necessary to say literally "thank you!" To your bag. simply because it is written in the book of Kondo. Try to approach the purchases as intelligently as possible - then there will be more satisfaction from them, and you will be able to strangle the eternal fear that your neighbor has greener grass.
The Internet is used to joking about the problems of the first world, but with some ridicule nothing can change it. It will be much more effective to retrain yourself to think in new categories, looking at the existing objects as a privilege. Kondo offers, in fact, several practical exercises that are useful for the psyche, among them - the habit of conscious consumption. Western readers are surprised by a conversation with objects, while the daily feeling of guilt towards things that it is a pity to get rid of appears to be something normal. In fact, the opposite is true: feeling guilty in front of a sweater, we animate him much more than a Shinto priest. So why not say the old thing, thanks for her service and not letting go in peace?
Approach the possession consciously
Kondo constantly says that her most important criterion during the cleansing of houses from trash is the answer to the question of whether a thing delivers joy or not. It is difficult to argue with the fact that if only the beloved is around, then it will be really pleasant to be in such a space. This approach is outraged by many, because some things, by definition, cannot cause delight - for example, a holder for toilet paper. However, here you can fall into the trap of too literal interpretation.
A simple idea of Kondo can be reformulated as “buy things consciously” or “do not spend your time on trifles,” or just call it “a culture of life”. Here is a simple parallel. It is known that mass-market-clothes are produced many times more than is necessary for potential buyers, and its entire market has turned into a vicious circle of artificially stimulating consumption. We want more and more, without thinking about how much we need it.
The same story with absolutely all things in our life. It is not necessary to love your cutting machine and decorate it with Swarowski crystals. But if it is comfortable to lie in the hand, to occupy the necessary volume in the box, not to be blunt and so on - is this not a cutting line of your dream? When all the necessary things around are the same, then you can no longer think what else to buy. Kondo offers a simple exercise: ask yourself questions in the spirit of "why do I need this?" to the bitter end, meeting each answer with a new question - "why?". So you can gradually remove the husks of the external layers and admit to yourself that in fact we are satisfied or not satisfied.
It’s not for nothing that Kondo compares cleaning with Buddhist meditation. What it really is is to ask those who practice it, but one of the important consequences of meditation always becomes a more conscious attitude towards the world, and things as well. Marie Kondo admits that she loves to fold things, and sometimes get out and touch those that are far away, and thus maintain a dialogue with her clothes. A Japanese woman compares this with "teate", "laying on of hands" - a kind of traditional treatment.
If you are not a fan of one-way conversations - you can look at it differently. All movements with hands and fingers, that is, the very fine motor skills, activates cognitive processes, helps us to think and analyze. It is still the same path to awareness, a constant reminder of what is already there, and how real these things are, rather than ephemeral. Materiality is directly connected with another Japanese cultural concept, dazzling on the signs of the chain cafe. Wabi Sabi implies that life is imperfect, and chipping, cracks and roughness give objects special beauty and fill them with history - this, incidentally, also comes from Buddhist teachings, in this case connected with frailty and inconstancy.
Live in the present
The notorious imposition of hands, of which we spoke above, is a great exercise to find yourself in a particular moment, here and now. Distracted attention - the scourge of our time. We are constantly forced to switch from one notification to another, to jump between the screens of the monitor and smartphone, work and home. This state of affairs does not cling to one particular experience and may entail a general feeling of unpleasant detachment from what is happening. FOMO (fear of missing out) does not help either - the fear of not having time to take everything from life, especially when friends on instagram live life to the fullest and make it seem as if (in fact, of course not) just the right decisions.
Zen Buddhism, in various forms existing in Japan, is based on the fact that life is here and now. Japanese culture has built the ability to be in the moment in the real art. The seasons change in Japan, unlike ours, much more smoothly and clearly, and in each of them it is customary to take part in collective events dictated by this tradition. In the autumn, this is an admiration for the autumn maple and the moon, in the spring - with sakura and a plum, all summer fireworks are let out. Awareness of the time of the year played a big role for the Japanese: under it, if funds allowed, it was customary to select patterns on clothes, food and sweets, as well as indicate references to it in letters and poetry.
Do not be ashamed of mistakes and failures, it is better to come to terms with them and leave behind, and throwing objects in this will help
Another way to achieve a Kondo effect similar to Buddhist meditation is explained by the example of her client. She asked her to visualize her ideal life; what she wanted when the client returned home. Of course, all this works in the framework already set by life: if you want to return to the palace, covered with skins, and you yourself live in odnushku on the outskirts, then nothing happens. However, such visualization is a good therapeutic exercise, which allows you not to be distracted and focus on yourself and your desires.
Getting rid of things that symbolize a relationship ended helps you mentally draw a line, and also ask yourself the question of why you cling to them. Finishing the past and living in the present is a very Buddhist approach. As with the things that have become obsolete, Kondo offers readers not to be ashamed of mistakes and failures, but to put up with them and leave behind, and let throwing things in this help. Her constant calls to listen to her intuition are, in fact, a proposal not to postpone life until tomorrow, when something incredible happens, because this incredible thing may never happen, but the time is sure to end.
Most of the considerations of Kondo are quite universal, despite their seemingly naive or special cultural context: using its approach, it’s worthwhile to see the essence, cutting off the details. After all, even the recommendation of "being feminine" at home with the help of "beautiful" clothes, due to the patriarchal Japanese traditions, can be interpreted in such a way that at home life also does not stop. In the end, even sweatpants and a stretched T-shirt can be the coolest home outfit, not causing despondency and an apathetic leap on the couch (which, incidentally, is also sometimes necessary).
Photo: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 via Shutterstock