What If We Just Had One?

WARNING: Taking It To The Extreme Content! (Oh, and a whole LOT of ?'s)

What would happen if we just had one of the many various things that we have in our daily lives? Why is one bike okay, but one bowl or set of clothing considered too extreme? What would happen if people started living with the least amount that they could instead of the most? Those are the questions that I ponder many times when I just sit alone with myself and let my brain wander. It seems like that last question is just too hard for most people from first world countries. In fact, I KNOW of people that would rather throw something out and buy a new thing (and often end up buying MANY new things) than clean or fix it.

I often wish that I could take a challenge in my life to eliminate ALL but one of all the stuff in my house... One pot, one pan, one bowl, one cup, one spoon, one towel, one blanket, one pair of shoes... One. How much differently would I treat those things? What if I HAD to keep them clean, fixed, and usable? How would that change the WAY I live? I'm fortunate enough to not HAVE to live with this mindset. (I am very much American middle class.) But just because I don't have to doesn't mean I shouldn't, right?! I just saw a moving truck yesterday that was the size of a FULL semi truck trailer. The truck had to swing through both lanes of the road to get through. Seriously. Why why why why WHY don't we question that as abnormal behavior instead of normal!? And what if I treated money similarly to the above? What if I treasured EVERY SINGLE DOLLAR that came into our household? Just because I could afford Internet on my cell phone and for the house doesn't mean that I needed it. Just because we could afford the bigger house doesn't mean we needed it either. I mean, how many sinks/toilets/bedrooms/whatever do people need? Many on this earth have to walk miles just to GET to water. We won't even use the same sink to wash our dishes in after brushing our teeth. Am I just weird for questioning that..? What about consumables? Just because I can afford the fountain soda drink at the gas station doesn't mean it's okay to buy it either. Why do I need Pine Sol, Clorox wipes, paper towels, Pledge, Comet, Clorox Bleach, etc? Isn't soapy water and a rag really enough?  I am not saying I want a total miserly life. I don't want to pinch every penny until no one can stand me and I'm old, 'rich,' and alone. I'm just saying, I really think that if we all just tried to nudge our mindsets a little more in the direction of conservation, we might make a whole lot of decisions, well, differently... And I'd really like that.