Dec 19 2008
Lessons learned – Life Is Not About Things
So, a while back I was very well made aware of the fact that Life Is Not About Things. Made so aware that this simple fact presented itself as an acronym: LINAT. Because if you think about it, life truly is NOT about things. A concept which is WHOLEY in contrast with that which is marketed to us each and every day. After all, we are Americans. We must consume.
But must we? Has the social fabric of this nation been forever built upon a foundation of “Keeping up with the Jones”? My feeling is no. But the reality is that we’ve lived in a world for some 60 plus odd years where we’ve been told time and time again that we’re not really worth so much unless we have a Brand X car in our driveway/garage and a ensemble of Brand Y clothes and are wearing Brand Z shoes. Now how silly is that??? What purpose does that drive really serve?
Sadly enough it actually serves a pretty huge purpose. One which keeps a large portion of the populous living in a continual state of work/sleep/work/sleep. And it seems that the full result of that way of operating is exposing itself in today’s America. We’ve been enticed by easy credit, which has resulted in us buying into the idea of needing to overspend on things we don’t need (even houses that are more than we need), which has resulted in a big “Woops” when the bill has finally come due.
But it seems that I’ve gotten a little sidetracked from my original intent of speaking about the lesson of “stuff”. Which can be pretty easy to do considering. But my original reason for writing about the fact that “Life Is Not About Things” is truly related to “things”. And how even the most well intentioned people may find themselves somewhat wrapped up in the concept.
For the experience of my day included receiving a phone call this afternoon from one of the roommates in San Francisco. The phone call was pretty much to the affect of “We’re cleaning out things from the kitchen and putting the excess out on the curb. But we realized that some of this stuff might be yours. So call us.” Which in the big picture is all well and good. But in the microcosm, the timeframe in which I was allowed to respond was apparently less than 8 hours. For within those 8 hours these “things”, that might have been mine, apparently had already found their way to the curb. So in a return phone call back to one of the roommates I was asked, “is the white toaster yours?” (It was.) But if it found a new home that would be find with me. And ” is the X yours?” (same idea.) And “Is the juicer yours?” (It is.) Now THAT was something I do have use for on many ocassions. Including juicing up whatever is at hand and feeding roommates and friends.
So this was oddly a bit more impacting. Because the immediate question that came to mind was along the lines of “is this something that I can do without?” Which it seems the likely answer is “yes”, since I’ve done without it for the last two months. But in a more thought out response it seems that the answer is “no”, as it’s served a very useful function in bringing nutrition to the reality of a lot of different people a lot of different times.
So the final question that remains is one of whether or not having that sort of attachment to a “thing” is right or is wrong. Because, in my mind, the ultimate reality is one of the experiences you have throughout life. BUT those experiences MIGHT be enhanced here and there by some tool that you’re able to use. Some tool like a juicer. What do you think?
What’s so amusing to me about this latest post – is I was actually writing something along the lines of your sideline/between-the-lines thought process on consumption, scarcity, separatism, and blind trust in the free market capitalist economic modus – just yesterday – the 18th.
Synchronicity in oneness consciousness is beautiful isn’t it? :]
My article deals with the implications of the monetary system and as such will likely not be published anytime soon, however it’s utterly telling that we were both thinking the same things.
best always,
_Omar
There are plenty of books about getting rid of the clutter with pithy rules about getting rid of anything you haven’t used in six months. But of course then you have to buy the book to learn the “rules’ and simplify your life.
Maybe a more meaningful thought comes from the Dalai Lama who has written extensively on the passing happines one feels from having the newest, best of any material possession. His bottom line is that there will always be something newer and better, such that happiness needs to be based on things much more permanent than consumer goods. In the words of Elwood Blues, after ravaging a shopping mall with the Bluesmobile, “The new Oldsmobiles are in early this year!”
The fact that you bothered to ask “is this something that I can do without?” is impressive as most people would have gone straight to “It’s mine!” Ownership is such an interesting topic anyways. To answer your final question I would say: There’s nothing wrong with having an attachment to a thing as long as you keep it in perspective. If I was parted from my wallet, laptop, clothing items, etc. I would be noticeably upset about it but would (no doubt) end up either replacing the item or find it wasn’t worth replacing. Things are things, it’s the people I care for that matter.
Hey Brandt,
Great words! It is the people that one cares for that matters.
An interesting side note I’d like to share. I’ve been fortunate enough to have travelled to India. And on that one trip, quite near the end of my journey, I was visiting the town of Pushkar. Now this town has a few temples up in the hills/mountains surrounding it. And over the course of my journey I started to actually wake up before sunrise in order to visit the temples at sunrise. And on one particular day I decided to visit one of them, and so I awoke early and headed on out to walk up the path to the temple. Along the climb I passed an elderly couple along the way, happy to see the dedication they were showing. Upon reaching the top, I found the temple wasn’t yet open, so I sat down along the edge of the hill facing east and meditated as the sun rose. Now once the temple opened there was another woman who had arrived, and we all went inside. I ended up talking with the young woman and found that, amazingly enough, she was also from San Francisco. So we chatted more, and walked back down the path to town, and shared breakfast (Dosas of course!) and eventually exchanged phone #’s and email addresses. Well, I was able to meet up with her a few other times (even for Dosas!) back in San Francisco after we both returned to the states. But the interesting part is the first time we met up, which was at a coffee shop. We sat and talked for two hours before it was time to get other things done that day. And as I started walking down the street to catch the bus I happened to catch some passersby talking about their shopping finds or some similar “thing” centric situation. And I realized that in those two hours I had spent talking with my new found friend not once did the conversation turn to talking about “things.” It was all about experiences and emotions and travel and the like. And it was amazing to realize that fact. So I look back on this and see someone who, I feel, truly gets that. Definitely a fantastic experience.