Why do we think we need so much?
Do you have too much stuff? Have you saved everything? Do you go out and buy or chase the shiny new thing or software thinking it will make your life better? I admit it; I have been and still fight this urge every day.
I see the advertising daily and wonder why I still pay attention. And as I’m facing one more move, I wonder if this was the right way to live. Will continued accumulation be sustainable?
Since 2015 I have moved and downsized (a fancy term for giving stuff away that I no longer need or will fit in my new living area), and I’m preparing to do it one more time. So why am I in this mess?
I was born in 1945 at the beginning of the boomer era. The Second World War was ending, and ……..
Parents and the Jones
My parents grew up living without a lot. My mother lived on a farm, then went to college and became a teacher. My father also grew up on a farm but was in the Air Force for most of his life. My parents lived without a lot. They lived through the depression and two World Wars.
They wanted more for their children. So they taught us to get more and live a better life without shortages than they had. During this period, we had enough but didn’t chase the shiny new objects. We were beginning to see the impact of radio, TV, and many of the labor-saving devices for the home that we take for granted today. Then advertising and marketers came into their heyday.
Advertisers and Marketers
With the advent of TV and radio advertising, the levels of expectations for good living skyrocketed. Suddenly we were expected to live like the mythical “Jones.” Marketers told us that we needed new houses, new cars, and new clothes to succeed. So our parents, who wanted their children to grow, fell for it. First, we had to have a TV, and then we had to have a color TV, then we had to have a bigger screen TV, etc. We couldn’t wear out a car. We had to have a newer model every two years. And on and on.
For Many, We Did This Because We Could
Unfortunately, they instilled this in me and my generation, and I passed it on to my children. But the effect of this has been decades of using up our countries and the world’s natural resources, polluting our planet so that climate change is upon us and the future generations will suffer from our indulgence.
And as we grow older and downsize from our bigger homes and bigger cars, we discard many of our accumulated things we bought that we didn’t need. I will be giving my stuff away so that much of it can be reused and recycled as I move into a one-bedroom apartment. So how do I decide what to keep and take?
But there comes a time when we have to pay the Piper and “Declutter.”
Decluttering is an art that requires more mental effort than I expected. You have to choose between many things with sentimental value. For example, how many of the dishes, pots, pans, bedding, pictures, etc., that my wife and I used before she died do I still need?
How many computers does one person need? How many cables, connectors, and old devices do I need?
And more importantly, how can you who will outlive me learn the difference between your wants and needs because my generation didn’t understand that lesson very well?
