The DU Lounge

It's quite simply "Do you own goods, or do they own you?"

I have ALWAYS valued things for their expected future value or usefulness. When I moved to the wilderness near a well-known national park, I thought that friends would drop by and enjoy the scenery (almost a nice as that national park, on a much smaller scale, and no parking problems) and gourmet preparations.

Nada

So, I gave my daughter a lot of expensive cookware to sell on Craig's List and keep the money.

Lately, as I approach {redacted} years, I just don't need the isolation and the maintenance on the "Ponderosa Ranch" here, so I am downsizing to give me more options for a move where stores and services aren't a 50 mile drive. And that is based entirely on "Did I use this in the last 10 years here?" and "Will I ever need this again?" which will vary a bit with the destination.

When water started pouring in the window frame during a storm, I had the "magic" waterproof tape on hand, same for the bend in the gutter. One of the big achievements was finding electronic versions of 15 totes worth of printed books that I paid good money for.

The only really problematical item is the historical microcomputer. Museums seem to only want autographed stuff, or expect me to pay shipping on 80 or more pounds of gear. But I am concentrating on odds and ends. "It will work out"

BELIEVE ME. I was married for 27 years to someone who gave me the daily "Throw, Throw" speech. It was quite the experience from hell, but I stayed in order to be the best Dad I could be to the most wonderful daughter imaginable. And it was worth having my own Marie Kondo at home all that time. I am truly made of steel.

But I'm practical. My Dad collected Madonna statues, the religious kind not the pop kind, and I gave all but two to my ex. He also collected cow creamers. He started collecting when he saw a purple cow creamer on a visit to Maine. I kept a few and let my niece have the rest of them as mementos. I don't have many sentimental pieces. An old mechanical Spirograph, a couple of small slide rules to shock people with, as I calculate gas mileage faster than Siri can!!

So as not to ramble (more), People should understand that many people collect things out a a feeling of lack, somewhere in the past, and, humans being a bit cantankerous, myself VERY cantankerous, one should understand causes and effects and help people feel more themselves and less dependent on "things".

I remember very little from the previous 30 or so years, compared to the treasure of raising a great kid who is now a great adult. These are "treasures of the heart" ... (except that wonderful radial arm saw .... sigh)

Dad was an artist who used brushes, oils and canvas to create. My grandfather was a carpenter who used tools to build. I admit it. Dad had 3 or 4 tools, that's all, so I compensated, though most of my time now is spent on the artistic side, with photography and music (when not repairing gutters).

When people don't understand something, they devalue it to zero. I forgot who said it, Alan Watts? That people we call materialistic are the LEAST materialistic. They don't have things for their intrinsic value, like a piece of olive wood I have with beautiful grain and veining, but just its cash value. It's as if weight were a measure of value, or how high you can pile things, or how "All my friends have Porches, I can't make amends".

Of course, besides the artistic side, I have the tinkerer mentality and the coolest thing ever was that transparent wristwatch. You didn't have to take it apart to see how it works (admittedly, it was little more than a tuning fork). I did take lots of things apart, though. And as for computers, I built them from kits with bare boards and a big bag of parts. I have a good feel for what's going on with this computer in front of me. and an appreciation.

But ultimately, we are in an extreme capitalist culture of endless duplication. Everyone has the same items they rarely use and never share or exchange. This is especially hard on older citizens, and I am focused on a more "sharing economy" having gone from a family "compound" where three brothers, my dad and two uncles, lived in adjoining houses, and we had old world traditions, to my own family. Three in one home, and then two homes and now three homes, all with expenses and taxes and duplicated thingys. Not saying we need to move back together, but that things should be easier to share "just in time". They are soooooooooo far away.

At the very least, we should have communities where someone is nearby to help in a pinch.

Community is not a "thing". It's an idea with practical action as a result. And good feelings.

And Marie Kondo BUYS her friends.