Consumerism Paradox: Acquiring Stuff only to Let it All Go

I came across this meme on Facebook the other month and it rang soooo true.

"I spent the first 2/3 of my life acquiring stuff that doesn't matter only so that I can spend my last 1/3 getting rid of it. What a stupid game of consumerism we play"

And in some way... we all know this...

"You can't take it with you"...

"We are born with nothing and leave this earth with nothing."

Yet, we continue to teach our kids that it's a game in which "Whoever crosses the finish line with the most, wins." Really?

And I get the truth at the heart of this meme too... we need "stuff" in order to live our life. Unless we want to be itinerate hobos with no home, no stuff. Which is always a possibility. And because we are born with nothing... we need to get "stuff".

As we approach the later years of life, we recognize that we can't take this "stuff" with us. But the sad truth is... no one wants our "stuff". We chose it because it fit us and our lifestyle and the consumerist trends current when we bought it.

But... newsflash... china cabinets are no longer de rigeur. No one wants the china cabinet. No one wants the precious china that was soooo expensive and a "collector's item". No one wants the fancy embroidered table cloths. Nope... not even if the china is Royal Doulton or the cabinet is solid walnut.

I do have hope for the younger generation. They at least recognize that the walnut china cabinet is not something that will add value to their lives. It is just one more massive piece of furniture taking up space in a tiny apartment that will never hold china that is never used. It serves no useful function. Don't want it. Don't need it. Would the younger generation want the china cabinet if they could afford bigger homes? Somehow I doubt it. They don't want to be tied down. They don't want the mortgage and the 9 to 5 jobs.

But then I think of the teens today... they do buy things. Lots of clothing. Lots of make-up and jewelry. At least the girls. But maybe the boys too. What will happen when they fly the coop and move into their own apartments, likely shared with multiple roommates? Will they go out and buy new furniture? Probably not. Will they grab free stuff off the side of the road, or for cheap off of Facebook Marketplace and thrift stores... probably.

Maybe this meme is really a testament to the Boomers and Generation X. Maybe this meme will have no relevance to younger generations. Perhaps because they will have been collecting experiences and not things? I hope so. Or maybe they will only purchase stuff "that matters". Perhaps they will be immune to the siren call of tchotchkes? Perhaps they will be able to distinguish what "matters" and what doesn't matter. I hope so.

In the meantime... Minimalism is trending, the Joy of Tidying Up is a thing, and the Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning has its own Facebook group. Go figure. Declutter, purge, let go... because we can't take it with us. And no one wants our stuff.

Writing the Blank Page

There are days where I sit down to write this blog and I have zero topics lined up and zero ideas percolating in my brain. I scroll through the news looking for a spark of inspiration and... nothing.

I could really get hard on myself and beat myself up for coming up with nothing. I could also end up worried that people are going to think I'm weird for writing about nothing. And that would then stop me from writing which... is not the purpose of this whole process. The purpose of these blogs is for me to write. Period. With a theme that vaguely centers around "small steps".

Perhaps that is the link. Writing with a theme in mind is relatively easy. But writing without a theme... it means that I have to just start writing, one word, one sentence at a time, and see what comes out of the fingers. It's the small steps in action again. I might not have a whole blog in mind... or even a paragraph, but if I just start, then something will take form.

It's really a gift when I have a topic in mind... it makes it soooo much easier! It's all about parking downhill so things are easier. Obviously, I did not park downhill on this blog! And so I am slogging away uphill, which is hard work. I am hoping that if I get enough momentum going here, it will get easier, but sometimes that just doesn't happen.

Several years ago, I came across a blog post that talked about being a creator rather than a consumer. Those words inspired me. I wanted to become a creator... someone who writes things that other people might read and find helpful. I didn't just want to mindlessly (or intentionally) consume things without giving back.

I chose writing as my creative option, but there are many other different creative outlets out there - costume design, painting, drawing, music, calligraphy, art, gardening, photography... so many different options. And all of them have a secret... you need to do them all the time. In order to get better, in order to create... something needs to happen every day. It's the only way we get better. It's the only way we live up to our dream of being creators rather than just consumers.

And sometimes... we don't feel like it. We aren't inspired. We don't have a topic in mind. We don't feel the music in our blood. And those are the moments where we need to just start... no matter what we are feeling, just sit down (or stand up) and start. Pick up the brush, the pen, the instrument, shovel, whatever... sit down at the keyboard, the easel, the desk... and do what we do.

That small step of starting leads to other small steps which will ultimately produce something. Whether it is good enough to work with and share... only time will tell. But at least we have done what we needed to do. One small step at a time.