Hoarding Stuff

In my own way, I have become one who hoards things. It does not take up much space. You would hardly notice it. I hoard things on my computer. I have things on my computer that I started collecting since around 1992. Before then, I wrote out my studies, which would have started around 1980. Slow but sure, these old studies found their way into my computer. Had it not been for the computer, I would have a wall full of notebooks and files. As it is, what I hoard is now in a simple computer.

I came across a few reflections on Compulsive Hoarding Syndrome. My own theory about compulsive and/or addictive behavior is to choose something healthy about which to be compulsive or addictive.

In any case, Gordon Stewart, 74, was a retired cabinetmaker and ponytailed loner whom neighbors often saw pedaling his bike around the streets of Broughton, in the U.K., picking up cardboard boxes and bags full of rubbish. One day, when neighbors had not seen Stewart emerge from his home for several days, they called police. Officers broke in, only to find a house so full of trash that the only way to get around was through an elaborate series of tunnels running through the filth. The stench was so bad that authorities called a police dive team using breathing apparatus to search for Stewart, whom they found deep inside the home. Police believe the mountains of collected stuff disoriented Stewart and he died of dehydration. “Human mole dies of thirst … lost in his own tunnels of trash,” read the headline in The Sun.

Stewart suffered from Compulsive Hoarding Syndrome, a type of obsessive-compulsive disorder that causes people to acquire and hold on to stuff that is useless or of limited value — stuff most of us would call “junk.” Compulsive hoarders stubbornly hold on to old newspapers, magazines, old clothing, bags, books, mail, notes and lists, as well as other accumulated junk and even garbage, because they believe they might somehow need those items in the future. The homes of compulsive hoarders thus become a dumping ground, where piles and piles of stuff choke out living space to a dangerous point. It does not take long for the clutter to start spreading onto the floors, countertops, hallways, stairwells, garage and cars. Beds become so cluttered there is no room to sleep. Chairs become so buried there is nowhere to sit. Kitchen counters become so cluttered that food cannot be prepared. Eventually, like Stewart’s home, one can access the living space only by a series of narrow pathways or tunnels through the clutter. According to a survey by the Obsessive Compulsive Foundation (OCF), hoarding constituted a physical health threat in 81 percent of identified cases, including threat of fire hazard, falling, unsanitary conditions and inability to prepare food. Stewart’s case shows what can happen when hoarding reaches a critical stage.

            However, the accumulation of stuff is only a symptom for compulsive hoarders. According to the OCF, the root cause has to do with an acute case of perfectionism. Karron Madment, a behavioral scientist, writes:

“People with compulsive hoarding syndrome do not like to make mistakes. In order to prevent making a mistake, they will avoid or postpone making decisions. Even the smallest task, such as washing dishes or checking mail may take a long time because one has to do it ‘right.’ The net result of these high standards and the fear of making a mistake is that compulsive hoarders avoid doing many tasks because everything becomes tedious and overwhelming.”

            The OCF says an estimated 700,000 to 1.4 million Americans suffer from Compulsive Hoarding Syndrome. These people are often isolated, lonely and in need of help.

            However, while syndrome sufferers represent extreme cases, we might argue that much of culture focuses on the accumulation of stuff. Accumulation of stuff, in its proper place in our lives, is a healthy and good thing. It provides for your health, physical well-being, retirement, children, and so on. Yet, Jesus challenges us often to re-consider our relationship to stuff. No, it may not be “junk,” and it may not clutter our homes to the point of madness, but the constant drive to acquire bigger homes, cars, televisions, gadgets and other high-end stuff may be symptomatic of a larger and more pervasive human disease — call it greed or avarice, or maybe something such as “chronic wealth syndrome.” Whatever the name, it has the potential to be no less debilitating or even deadly to sufferers. When the overwhelming desire to accumulate and hold on to material things begins to dominate a person’s life, whether you lock yourself in an apartment or live in a palatial mansion, it is a serious problem to your soul and to your discipleship.