RE: ---- The Disposable Era - We are Not Starved for Choices, we are Starved for Connection ----
You included so many good points to illustrate this. Kintsugi, for one.
...there is value in the connection we have to items, to the history we share with it, to the story of the struggles we faced and overcame, to the fact that we saved what was once broken, that there is more to what is before us than meets the eye.
A wabi-sabi view of life... (I think that's one of the biggest reasons I love all things Japanese so much.) I love that perspective, applied to all things in life, and I think it's a dying one as the entire world becomes more Westernized. Seems that way to me. I hate to say that, to sound so negative, but maybe there are more people than I realize feeling the lack of meaning in the new status quo of how we relate to each other and the things we own.
I've spoken to more than a few who feel this way, so I think there is a trend of turning away from it, to find more meaning. After all, one of the most current trends is minimalism right now. But then, that plays into the disposable culture in its own way too. That we can always just go out and buy again whatever we might need to replace after we've gotten rid of it in our quest to become more 'spiritually enlightened'.
So much feels like a fad, like some rental to try on and try out and, sooner than later, discard. And I've been guilty of it myself, with things and in ways, because it's easy. I guess that's where my cynicism comes into play. I resent it. Kinda chuckling here to say I'm writing this on the day my smartphone has officially died, of no clear reason other than obsolescence.
It irks me, but there's good that comes with every bad. We do have nice things. Too bad we have so much we tend to take it all for granted.
Nice writing and love to you too. (Extra cool points for mentioning the Stanford Prison Experiment. The movie about that was good. And fucking refrigerators...don't get me started on fucking refrigerators. My language just might turn a bit more 'adult'. Those are worse than cellphones. That's a true conspiracy if there ever was one. I think the most poignant thought about this in my mind at the moment is that the only people who remember the time before this new reality are now aged and/or dying. What happens when they're gone? Who remembers if we forget to listen to them?)
@intspekt , Thanks for the super detailed reply, it good to know people are reading and taking in the signal im sending 😊 sorry it took me a while to get this response, there was just so much to unpack in your comment 😊
Yes there is many faults in the western way of thinking and one of the most prominent is that “there is nothing better than our way of thinking“. If we are not capable of examining our own thought processes, behaviors and methods of interaction etc. and acknowledging the flaws to try and rectify inconsistencies then we are doomed to continue on the same path, to not grow or evolve. there is much to be learned for observing other cultures, lifestyles, etc. which will help humanity better itself.
What I believe is that we are hindering ourselves from moving forward by clinging to these out dated methods of interacting with one another. That being said, whatever the paradigm shifts to im more than open for “that” to change as we move forward as well. Being static does not promote growth, there is not “final answer”, there are unequivocal truths. However, the human condition feels a considerable amount of dissonance when we feel we don’t know something, it can make us question our mortality, so we fool ourselves into thinking that we do have the answers to make us feel better. Again if we could acknowledge and accept these faults in ourselves we can take steps to counter this method of thinking. This would require independent though, critical thinking, etc. but this is too much for some to handle…. So I guess the saying “ignorance is bliss” is relevant in these kinds of scenarios.
The inconvenient truth is that we have to take some responsibility for ourselves and our own actions. What we feel is lacking in our lives is based on our own choices to adhere to the social norms that keep us feeling the disconnect in our lives, that makes us believe that material possessions/ money will fill the void in our hearts and our souls. It is up to us to move in a direction which is congruent with our autonomy and who we are, even if it mean going against the grain of what the social norms would dictate. In the words of the great Chris Cornell “to be yourself is all that you can do”
Humans tend to like analogies and comparisons to help gain an understanding of any particular concept, for instance when we explain steemit to non-users we may say “its like FB but you get paid for your content” it helps bridge to an understanding. However, this can be detrimental to the understanding we design as we can have considerable attribution errors attached to the new concept. When we transfer the concept of Planned Obsolescence and apply it to mankind’s interactions with one another we end up dehumanising people and treating them like objects as opposed to sentient beings.
Yes technology is an easy go to for observing Planned Obsolescence from fridges, phones, cars, computers, and anything else like that get “new and improved” versions all the time, or they break within a few years. Gone are the days of building things to last because that is not profitable. But the reason it happens is because we choose to accept it, we fall for the bullshit sales tactics, we buy the fear they sell us…
I found this today. And since my entire response was one wily tangential leap across to anywhere I might land, softly, at all?, somewhere within your view, I figure this might fit...
Life is a teacher. This was a lesson I learned here...as I went off to 'think on all I'd just said'. Inner critic said "hey listen", I said "but I am, I did", little mean green man in my head being a real pesky booger then said, "no you did'n, not really".
I think he was right. Maybe that's one of our biggest problems, all of us... Time divided, attention divided. Listening is hard. Disagreeing is easy when you don't listen. Disagreeing is as easy as agreeing, though. Pick a side and, 😊Thank You Have A Nice Day😊. Understanding why we think what we do is the hard part. I feel like so little discussion ever goes that far.
I'm writing this after spending some time thinking on free speech censorship; it just brought me full circle back to here. Maybe I think too much. But then, maybe there's a reason that this time it was this.
(I'm not particularly a fan of this man, but I do agree with his views on free speech and advice on listening.) Food for thought regarding debate, I suppose. And my apologies for writing so much after the payout, but I really find these kind of topics interesting to discuss.