{"id":1298,"date":"2015-02-23T08:00:21","date_gmt":"2015-02-23T08:00:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.diogonunes.com\/blog\/?p=1298"},"modified":"2020-05-15T14:23:50","modified_gmt":"2020-05-15T13:23:50","slug":"you-dont-own-things-things-own-you","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.diogonunes.com\/blog\/you-dont-own-things-things-own-you\/","title":{"rendered":"You don’t really own things, things own you"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Don’t let anyTHING become precious to you.<\/h3>\n

<\/p>\n

Over the last years — influenced by talks<\/a> and websites<\/a> and other personal experiences<\/a> — I’ve developed my minimalist side. In my youth I was a stuff collector (“acumula tralha”<\/a>). That was how everyone was raised at the time, e.g. goods were scarse and repairing was always cheaper than buying a new one.<\/p>\n

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Keep it, it may come in handy one of these days.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

And since everyone had so little, owning stuff was empowering. And when quality was not affordable, quantity would suffice it. Every house had its collection of bibelots<\/a>, its shire of stuff<\/strong>. Surely that’s an instinctive nature that we inherited from our primitive anchestors.<\/p>\n

Our animal side still likes to show off and social networks are there to help #braggie<\/code><\/a>. That’s why people buy expensive iStuff and carefully protect them with premium covers but never cover up the brand’s logo! And smart watches that need a smart phone nearby to work? Thankfully they don’t require a smart person.<\/p>\n

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Make a hole in the case if you have to. Just make sure everyone knows that I paid big money for that thing!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Stuff owns you<\/h3>\n

What does an addict reply everytime you ask him or her to stop?<\/p>\n

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Well I can stop whenever I want.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Except they don’t. And people also get addicted to stuff. Some get addicted to buying things and others to owning them — even though they never use them, never look at them, they’re at peace as long as they own them.<\/p>\n

Do you buy a car or does it adopt you? Is you car (1) an object that allows you to get from A to B or (2) a precious machine that matches your personality and represents your status?<\/p>\n

Do you passionately desire to buy something, something that everyone seems to have? And when you finally buy it you barely care about finding a use for it?<\/p>\n

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My most precious stuff are things that are worthless to anybody.<\/strong> They are not kept at a bank safe, since they have no value. They are stored inside a shoe box. What does it contain? A painted rock, a broken toy, some pins, several pieces of paper, and Cirque du Soleil<\/a> tickets. The real value is not in the items but in the memories associated.<\/strong><\/p>\n