A while ago, I filled out a form on a site that was supposed to track the traffic on my blog for free. There was also an option to upgrade to a better version for a nominal fee. I opted for the free version and soon started getting email notification that no one ever visits my blog. Not even me.
This ended up being liberating. Now that I know this is a private space, I can unleash my thoughts, however eccentric they may be. This post is all about just clearing my head and indulging the higher functions of my brain that don't always see a lot of action these days.
Lately I've been thinking a lot about consumption. About what a machine we as a society are for consuming non-consumable goods. Of course, I'm using "consumable" in the "liable to be used up or depleted" sense, not the "edible or drinkable" sense. This most recent consideration was brought on when I read this. Read it.
We buy things that should or could last 10 - 20 years and are "done" with them in a few months or years; sometimes we're done with them in a few days. It's done in the name of fashion, style, and progress. We get "tired" of things, there are improved or newer versions, so we discard them, give them away, or store them to make room for something new. Is it a product of advertising? All to make more money so we can buy more stuff.
Why are we so hungry for more and more and more? Sometimes I get a little queasy thinking about all the stuff in the landfill. I'm actually not opposed to landfills in general, just over-the-top consumption that fills them.
I guess this is a recurring theme in my thought process. In typing the previous paragraph, I remembered a multi-media thing I put together after I got home from my stay in Senegal (eons ago). Same thing.
This leads me to this pool of thought: am I guilty of hypocrisy--noticing this and at the same time remaining part of the problem? Sure, I could be a bigger part of the problem. But I'm still part of the mainstream. I still buy and own a lot of extra everything.
For me, I've realized that I want my standards to change. I want to slow the process of acquisition and the rate of turnover. I want to slow my consumer metabolism, if you will. This means holding out for best instead of buying good, then better, then best. This means being more thoughtful about how I will use something before I purchase it. This means more planning and less impulsiveness. In short, it means growing up a little.
Sometimes I wish I lived in a world where self-discipline weren't an issue. In this world, no one would be fat or have bad teeth. Everyone would have a wonderful compost pile. Everyone's birthday would be celebrated thoughtfully. No recyclables would be sent to the landfill. But I guess what I would gain might not be more than I would lose in character and personal growth.
