COVID-19, decluttering, Kyoto.

■ COVID-19, decluttering, Kyoto.

A young acquaintance of mine has recently taken to decluttering.

She says she is going to get rid of things, become minimalist and live lightly. She will move to a smaller place where she can live within easy reach of things.

She says, “when you lose weight, you become healthy, and when you become light, you can travel. 

From objects to intangible things; eco-friendly and nomadic.

All I need exists digitally.”

That’s right.

She also “decluttered” people by cutting them off. 

She said, “My main customer service business was doomed because of COVID. During that time, I cut my social networking and phone contacts down to the bare minimum.

Even then, I can still contact the people I need to. The vast majority, however, were unnecessary.”

She seems comfortable.

“The digital community and communication can be overly self-limiting if too abundant.”

I wonder.

No work can be had during COVID. No chance to move your body during COVID.

An opportunity to be reborn.

Detox the things and people you have stored up.

Though I wouldn’t want to become the waste product after someone’s detoxing, but it may lead toward someone’s opportunity to detox and be reborn anew.

I have just delved into the service business area of new universities. Now is a time to strengthen communication with the digital community, so I don’t have time to think about decluttering. Yet, it would do me good to be careful not to let my aging leak out as waste.

But decluttering isn’t the goal, is it? What do we do with weight off our shoulders? While you downsize, COVID has put society at a standstill. What does my friend think about this? 

When I asked her, she replied back with, “Wait to be burned out.”

Hm? What does that mean?

“Wait to be burned out. Do nothing. Stay still.

There is no work for me, but nobody else can either. Our community will be destroyed.

I will die out.

Once that happens, I can start over from zero.

And I look forward to that.”

The Kyoto people’s sense of time, looking ahead after the “Onin War” in the 15th century,  is to let COVID be an opportunity to burn oneself out.

Once they’re burnt down, the game is on.

The catchphrase for the 2015 Kyoto International Film and Art Festival was,

“Kyoto likes the weird and disorderly ♡”

“Kyoto creates. Creates, and then destroys.”

“Kyoto destroys. Destroys, and then creates.”

Those phrases must be true.

Hmm…

I am halfway to become a Kyotoite.