I feel so quilty right now..

Dolls on the scale of things are a very little cause of the worlds problems currently. If your really interested in helping the world look into veganism, the worlds meat industry is a massive cause of deforestation and is one of the biggest causes of world pollution and among other things world hunger if your interested in making a really big change that will help hugely check this out for more stats
http://www.alternet.org/story/137737/13_breathtaking_effects_of_cutting_back_on_meat

 

The edit made it a little clearer. I feel like the issue (as far as this hobby is concerned) is more of a consumerism kind of thing. In the west, we do buy a lot of things we don't actually NEED. But as far as bjds go, indulging in them alone seems decently earth friendly. There are a lot of things that we buy that does harm the world, but that same guilt shouldn't cross over into your doll collection. I mean, we really only NEED food, water, air, and shelter... but that doesn't sound like a happy life.

If, like you said, you feel like you just have too many dolls and want to clean house, do what's best for you. But I'm just not seeing the connection between this hobby and the earths health.

 

It's not always about buying to much that's the problem though more like when you buy things where does that company put your money? You could cut back on lots of things but still be funding companies which do huge harm to the world.

 

I do agree with you, we do buy too much stuff. The amount of useless crap we think we need in Western society is ludicrous. I think it's great that you want to cut down on your consuming BUT there is nothing wrong with buying a little luxury every now and then. Life would be so boring if we restricted ourselves all the time to what we only need. I am a clothes addict but I restrain my consuming by only buying on ebay and selling everything on ebay when I have had enough of an item. I haven't bought from a shop in years! Like others on here, I try to be an ethical consumer, so no buying from a company that is environmentally unfriendly or that tramples over human rights. But I do know that feeling of looking at your stuff and thinking "Have I REALLY spent that much on luxuries that I could easily have lived without? REALLY?" And yes, I do feel guilty when there are people in this world living on less than a dollar a day. But this is my world, not theirs, and I feel blessed that I live in a country where I do not have to live in such a grinding poverty. It's good to be a global citizen and be aware of these issues but like I said, appreciate your life and the advantages you have, help others in any small way that you can and remember that self-flagellation helps no-one (and makes you a bit of a bore). Also, I think everyone on this forum is a collector and it is the way our brains are wired. If we were on a plane that crash landed on a desert island we would be the people collecting shells after all the chores were done! If you really do feel awful, you could sell some of the dolls that you don't want an donate the money to a local or international charity. But you're not a bad person for spending the money you earned on things that made you happy! I really can't stress that enough. xx

 

If you want to sell, sell. If you want to cut back on everything and live a minimalist lifestyle, then that is wonderful and 100% your choice. If you feel like that would personally help the world then do what you think is right. Like everyone else here though i'll just say, there is nothing wrong with having a little luxury as long as you remain in the known of what is happening in the world. I am totally up for wanting to find greener ways of living and I really do think we can live peacefully with the world because there are still tribes and people who live that way and they are doing just fine ^^. I have to say though, reading what you have wrote I feel, as you have said, this is just your personal guilt for buying what you consider to be a lot, and a few of those dolls you're having remorse buying. That is normal and you know how to control that in the future, as you said, be pickier of what you buy. I hope once you sell the ones you no longer want you will feel better and just keep enjoying your hobbies and perhaps finding more ways to live a greener life.

 

Putting all environmental issues aside. If the issue is around wanting to live a more minimalist lifestyle I think selling off the dolls you don't have time for (provided you want to part with them) is a good place to start. You will then be able to appreciate what dolls you do have all the more and focus on them rather than purchasing or wanting any more. Over the past year I have bought and sold dolls just after they arrived. These were dolls I had wanted for a long time and when they arrived I just didn't feel the same way. I currently only have two BJD's who I know will be staying and I am expecting two more arrivals (one of which will be sold off again fairly promptly). I know this refers to more buying, but maybe you could use some of the funds made from selling off your unwanted dolls to start growing your own food and living a more self sufficient lifestyle?

Edited to add - It's best not to worry too much about what you think other people think, that's the fast track to causing yourself major upset. I don't think anyone who has commented on this thread dislikes you. They have simply tried to help you by giving their opinion on the subjects/article you brought up in your original post. Try not to worry, you can only do so much to help the world around you and if you feel like you can do more then do it You need to help yourself before you can help others and if downsizing you BJD collection goes some way to making you feel better, I say go for it!

 

I think the desire for minimalism and the desire to not damage the environment can be separated out - selling most of your dolls makes sense from a minimalist perspective, but I'd think from an environmental perspective the damage is done, and shipping them out would then be increasing your carbon footprint (unless selling them is part of downsizing your personal living space as well, in which case it might balance out).

I admire the minimalist aesthetic, even though I'm too much of a clutter-lover to aim for it myself, but in-and-of itself I don't think it's necessarily a more environmental-minded lifestyle, at least in a relative sense. For example, my sister is quite the minimalist and until recently lived in a 41m² (~440ft²) home, while my space is more than 3 times that size - but she lives in a much colder climate than I do, which means that she needs to heat her place most of the year, while I don't, so ultimately the overall environmental impact of our spaces may be similar.

In any case, you shouldn't think you've made a fool of yourself, manabusama - the consumption question is always an interesting debate amongst collectors, and you've given it a different spin this time!

 

Nope, not making a fool of yourself at all, you just started an interesting debate and have got people thinking. I wouldn't worry too much on that, though one thing to remember is that with typing you can never get a full feel of what people are thinking, so it can feel easy to look more into what is said than you normaly would.

It seems like there's more in the issues than just leading a "greener" life, or even just downsizing. Lately it seems like everything points you towards the fact that you must buy things to be happy. Had a bad day? Go do "retail therapy"! It's ingrained into us. At some point you do wake up and realize that just buying things isn't going to make you happy. Buying another doll isn't going to make things better or really change much. Then add on the guilt of why did you buy something you don't need?


Yes, my dolls can make me happy. Buying more just to feel happy gives a hollow feeling. Trying to figure it out is just meaning you have to start figuring yourself out. ^_^ So for the dolls you feel like you just acquired with out thought, go ahead and rehome them. Ones you care about, but just feel frustrated on? Pack them up neatly for now and take control on other things for now. Take time to find things that make you happy to do without buying anything. Maybe start that garden to grow veggies (doing at least a little environmental step, and give you something to be proud about that is not linked to consumerism) Just take a step at a time. When you try all at once it may avalanche on you and feel worse to the point of wanting to give up. I hope I made some sense. Lol. I tend to be lacking.