Order, or the lack ofOrder, can tell you a lot about a person. Most people are familiar with the TV personality Monk. Mr Monk suffers from  (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder). While the show is humorous and fun to watch, the underlying story of Mr. Monk day to day obsession with Order gives us a look into the minds of most all human beings. At our core we all crave some type of order. Order makes us feel better safer, a little more in control.

Most of us do not use the word Order, very much, we generally say things like "getting organized", "organizing our lives" or "reduce clutter". The are all code names for seeking Order, or better yet seeking Control. How many time have you heard someone lament, "if I could just get Organized"? Of couse whatthey mean, is if I could get get Control, get some Order in this situation, everything would be Ok. organizing or Order means different things to eveyone, while OCD is an extreme in one direction, total sloppiness is the extreme in the other. I can't  Control the things that are importantot me, so I seek not to control anything.


A lot of time we may wonder why one person demands eveything in its place, while another seems to care less where that things place is as long as they are able to find it. These behaviors of both are signs of people seeking control. Some days my mom would go on a cleaning spree, pulling things that have neatly been packed away for months and going through them with the intention of getting rid of them, only to decide that there may still be a need for them and repack them. While in the next room were freshly lundered clothes waiting to be folded. I have several friends that routinely go on cleaning sprees when they are stressed out. Seeking out dust bunnies, cobwebs, long lost clothing items, while more important situation are at hand. Perhaps the postpone of problems that were harder to fix gave them time to build confidence.

The pursuit of Order in a chaotic situtaion simply help to reveal underly fears that we all face. Fortunely most of us do not feel as out of control as Mr. Monk, but we all have our fixation of what Order should look like to make us feel in controland alittle less afraid. Think about the people, who when things are tumbling down around them seek anarchy, the want to do away with Order and strike out on their own, are they more afraid or less afraid than does who looking a controlling force to take the situation in hand and restore Order.

So the next time you see someone obsseing over cleaniness or relishing in the dis-arry of their desk, take a minute to asked if their is something a little more serious going on, of if there is a problem that maybe hidden from normal view. When you find yourself thinking about getting Organized, ask what the real issue maybe.