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Showing posts with the label Consumption

The Stuff of Memories

Stuff - we all mostly have too much...by we, I mean those reading this, those of us privileged to live in the first world, the developed world, the consumeristic and over-consumptive world. I showed the kids this video and we talked about it a little bit. We try hard to manage the stuff we acquire or are given, not just because we don't have a lot of space, or because many products these days are really just junk and wasteful, but also because we really don't need that much stuff and we don't want our kids to be so consumption focused. But some things are imbued with a value, with a memory that elevates the item above its intended purpose. Obviously family heirlooms or items of significant value are already imbued. I'm talking more about the every day items we have, that we have brought into our lives, that intentionally or unintentionally are varnished with an extra layer of meaning. So then, when we use these items in the course of our daily lives, the use of these...

Holding On...and Letting Go

It was a great summer stateside for the family, and it was a challenging one, for a variety of reasons. And then we returned to Israel to move into a new house and reconnect with all (well, most) of our worldly belongings. All of which lead to some deep thinking and personal evaluation. Western culture (I can't speak beyond that) has developed a strong tendency to hold on - to hold on to everything. To save, to keep, to horde, anything and everything. 10 for $10 is the sale at the grocery to get you to buy more; digital cameras allow for unlimited picture taking at basically zero cost; $1 for the first month will rent you a self-storage unit for everything that won't fit in your house; make payments, nothing down for big ticket items; unlimited talk/text/data. And so we do - we keep everything (well, my mom doesn't, but lots of people do) because we never know when we'll need it, or want it. And the wanting and needing continue and the consumption and consumerism gr...