Living in a consumerist society, we are constantly bombarded with messages that our life would be better if we upgraded to the latest thing, that we can't live without the newest feature and so forth. The philosopher Hannah Arendt criticized modern societies for eroding the durability of the world with this attitude, that treats tangible and durable goods as if they are consumable objects.
For the last decade, I've kept a little document on my computer called "object birthdays" and I put each new purchase in the document with the date. Rather than seeing age as a sign of something being old or needing to be replaced, I think of it as an accomplishment, a reflection both of my good sense when I acquired the object and the care and maintenance I have given it over the years. When I get really ansy about wanting the latest phone, the latest laptop or whatever, I look at the document and am proud of myself for having kept something as long as I have. When something finally is no longer usable or I give into temptation, I move it to a section of the document called the graveyard with the age of the item next to it, challenging myself to own the replacement for longer than I owned the original (i.e. how long can I hang on to a phone).
I've found that this document is a great psychological trick to change my attitude towards objects: I value them precisely because they are durable. I find myself more and more excited every year that that pair of boots is still okay, or that my kindle is still working over a decade later. It also encourages me when something breaks to look for ways to repair it -- replacing batteries on electronic devices, broken zippers on pants, resoling boots. When I find myself craving the latest version of consumer good, looking at the document reminds me of the value of what I have -- that it still serves a real use for me and that I have been able to care for it all these years. It has also changed how I approach buying things -- thinking more about how long they will last me, if they are repairable, and so forth.
October 11, 2022 at 08:56PM
