Randy Frost, in his book, Stuff: Compulsive Hoarding and the Meaning of Things, says we hoard stuff because we are prisoners of the stories the stuff tells us about who we are. He says you can get rid of the stuff in your life by recognizing and if necessary honouring the stories they tell.(This could explain why clutter doesn't seem to bother kids as much as adults. Kids are less perceptive. They build a coarser model of their surroundings, and this consumes less energy.)
I don't know exactly what he means by the second sentence - anyone? But I agree with the first sentence. When people are younger, they need stuff. With the stuff, they build their first home environment and help put together an identity. I think maybe we spend our first 50 years collecting stuff, and our next 50 years trying to get rid of it.
He's saying people monitor their environment, and less stuff, or a less elaborate understanding of the stuff, takes less energy. I don't think I agree. We filter out whatever we think isn't relevant, so, unless we think we're in a hostile environment (which would require us to be vigilant), the amount of stuff probably doesn't matter after you've already registered and assessed it.(This could explain why clutter doesn't seem to bother kids as much as adults. Kids are less perceptive. They build a coarser model of their surroundings, and this consumes less energy.)
I don't know exactly what he means by the second sentence - anyone?
I think you're probably right that we don't actually pay attention to the established 'stuff' of our lives. However, I feel much better every time I get rid of more stuff and reduce the clutter of my environment. It's possible to not know how oppressed you are by your surroundings.