the value of objects
This is a matter of freedom. If you don’t have many possessions then you don’t need to work all your life like a slave to sustain them.
Like many people who have spent periods of their life living out of backpacks, I love the idea of living without stuff. I relish in those times when all my worldly possessions are of no real material value and can easily be transported on my back to wherever I’m going.
When I was in my mid-20s, I blithely declared that the only material possession I cared about was my beloved Pentax ME Super, a second-hand SLR camera from the 1970s that I had randomly picked up in Australia, and which delivered seriously stunning shots on every click. Adrift in a San Diego youth hostel on 16th September 2001, with mayhem and paranoia round every corner, my prize possession was stolen. It was my birthday. I was alone. I did cry. Now I have no possession that can be stolen or broken that will bring a tear to my eye.
But I’m left wondering why. I think part of it is certainly that I’m not a very sentimental person, but I also think there’s been a shift in how we value possessions in recent years because:
- there are so many objects now manufactured in the world and, especially in richer countries, we can lay our hands on almost anything in a sale, in the bargain shop, second-hand or even free.
- our prized possessions are our smart phones, our tablets, our latops – and we’re used to dumping the physical shell for the newest version every few years.
I think the value of objects has definitely shifted in this generation. There’s an ‘easy come, easy go’ attitude that previously would have made no sense, in times when objects were difficult to come by, and took time and great effort to make or purchase.
However, as we know, that’s not the end of the story. In spite of this change, people still strive to amass money to make life more comfortable, more entertaining and more secure. There are very few people who glide through life thinking they have enough money – because there’s always something else to acquire. A better car, a better located house, a bigger house, a bigger garden, redecoration, a better holiday, a more comfortable seat on the plane, shinier handbag, faster motorbike, swimming pool, home movie theatre, speed boat, second home, sixth car, housekeeper, gardener, butler … no pay rise can reach the heights that sate the desire for the next improvement on the list.
To be honest, I don’t think there’s anything generally harmful in aspirational living, but I do think it’s useful for people to be carefully conscious of value, and not construct their lives around ever expanding material expectations that keep them trapped in occupations they don’t actually enjoy. I’m convinced life is lighter with less.
While I personally don’t ever want to go there, I can see it would be more pleasant to fly first class …
This post is dedicated to my best blogging buddy, Jim the Quaker, whose continuing search for purpose inspired me to examine Mujica’s words in more detail. (Jim seems to have poor taste in photos, but had a memorable exchange with an smelly old muse of mine that holds him forever in high esteem.)
I’m dumped already!? It hasn’t even been 24hrs! 😦
But i do agree, i hold sentimentality (and value) for the oddest things; particularly my boots and corduroy pants. When travelling there was nothing more beautiful than my backpack. Not the contents, just the actual backpack… and my boots and corduroy pants. Presently i also have a mug i’m particularly fond of.
LikeLike
Finally, we’re best blogging buddies! No, I’m not a Quaker, but I do respect them. Poor taste in photos? Nonsense. Your photos are lovely, Violet.
LikeLike
Well, I guess I’m projecting my evaluation onto you. And I didn’t know how to identify you because your blog has gone private. Thank you for liking my photos – I knew you’d come through! 🙂
LikeLike
My “private” blog is inactive. I couldn’t delete it because I “upgraded” the address. If it were still active, it would certainly be open to you, Violet. For the time being, I’ll be reading others’ blogs and commenting. My apnea surgery is just around the corner. When I’m feeling better, I’ll return to blogging.
LikeLike
Did I reply to John? Mea culpa. I’m fond of my mug, too. 🙂
LikeLike
My precious!
LikeLike
Oh, Jim! What makes you think you are not a Quaker? If you are a Catholic, you are sui generis- point me to some other Catholics to prove me I am wrong.
LikeLike
How could I ever prove you wrong, Clare? 🙂
LikeLike
By showing there are other Catholics like you. It would give me hope.
LikeLike
But I’ll bet it was a thrilling 20 hours! I think clumsiness stops you being massively sentimental about objects too. I’m good at breaking mugs.
LikeLike
I think it’s quite normal and healthy for humans to desire greater and greater comforts, and material wealth is a huge part of that. Why should we live if not to be happy? And clearly, the contributions of those produce material wealth have made us happy. My sitting comfortably on a hardwood chair typing these words for the entire world to see in my air-conditioned room, having clean fresh clothes and the security of my home – my life without these things would be pretty bleak, at best.
I think the problem is not desiring material wealth but rather being irrational in general. You see irrational confusion not only with respect to our material belongings but also our human relationships, and it manifests itself very similarly, I think. When people’s values are determined on whims a range-of-the-moment experiences, then their ability to prioritize what matters most to them is impaired.
You see people who live in trailers buying brand-new cars they simply cannot afford. They put their very home on the line to drive a flashy piece of metal around town feeling richer than they are for the few short weeks before they have to take it to a title-for-loan shark (ending up in astronomical debt).
You see people ignoring, neglecting, and abusing their closest friends/family, while they go out of their way to impress co-workers, people at church, and even strangers (sadly I have seen this all too closely). Then they wonder why they end up feeling miserable and unwanted and why everyone close to them leaves.
I believe that when people assign value to things in their life according to their lifelong happiness, then they start to have realistic and healthy relationships to their loved ones and to their belongings.
LikeLike
“Why should we live if not to be happy?” I’m not sure about this. I’m not clear if happiness is attainable in more than short bursts. Contentment and comfort are a different matter. But there’s a certain insecurity in attaching happiness to objects and status that doesn’t usually bring out the best in people. I think I’m just commitment-phobic – and that includes to objects.
LikeLike
I have little use for “things”, could care less what car I drive,and would rather spend my money on travel. What you see is what you get 🙂
LikeLike
You do have a precious shoebox though, I seem to recall …
LikeLike
Indeed 🙂
LikeLike
I have acquired a great many things. Most of them would hold value to no one else but me. I am truly sentimental. I have shirts from college. The thought of throwing them in the trash bin would seem like abandoning a friend. So, I buy precious few things these days (except cookbooks). Who has the room?
I had a mentor once who lived by this philosophy: One on and one hanging in the closet. I see the value in that minimalism even while I seem hopelessly unable to create it. I keep saying I’m going to get rid of things. Let’s see if I do.
But like Notes To Ponder, my money goes toward travel, leisure and food. Those things are creating memories. Memories do not require much space; especially now that we have digital cameras.
I will say this. Consumerism is not the only, perhaps not even the main, reason that we live in a “throw away” society. It is poor workmanship. I cannot begin to list the things that do not stand up even to the most respectful and careful use.
LikeLike
I like the idea of ‘one on and one in the closet’. Nothing’s built to last anymore, because it’s cheaper to get new than to repair.
LikeLike
To answer this question, my friend once asked me what is the one thing I would save if my house was burning and there was thing to save. I could only think of my photo album, it is the one thing that has sentimental value to me simply because it has those photos of when I was young and I can’t find them elsewhere.
I would want to fly first class but I have come to believe people work to hard that they never stop to live.
LikeLike
After posting that comment, it has appeared to me that if I scanned them and had them online, there is really nothing I would bother to walk with, maybe just my passport.
LikeLike
Absolutely, paper photos aren’t what they used to be. You clearly work in a healthy and interesting environment – I seriously don’t know anyone who loves their job, and few who like their jobs.
LikeLike