Every time I wash my car, it seems like rain just has to show up out of nowhere, and today was no exception. This morning, I went to clean it up because it was filthy from all the rain we’ve had recently and from hauling that Christmas tree from the shop to my house.
Once I got home, I swear it wasn’t even 20 minutes before a light drizzle started falling over the town. But hey, if it’s God’s will, who am I to complain?
Yesterday, I went shopping again, and on my way back, I couldn’t help but notice how crowded the streets and supermarkets were. Christmas is still two weeks away, and people are already diving headfirst into the holiday shopping frenzy. That got me thinking...
Do we really need all this stuff?
That’s the exact question I asked a friend of mine during a call yesterday. He lives abroad and has a one-and-a-half-year-old daughter but complains he doesn’t get much time to spend with her because of work. He runs a small business, and as we all know, businesses don’t run themselves—unless you’ve got some kind of magical automation, which I’m not even sure exists.
But really, what are we hustling for day and night? Most of the stuff we work so hard for, we don’t even need. And by "we," I mean society as a whole.
Do we really need to upgrade our smartphones every two years? A battery replacement would easily extend its life by another couple of years. Do we need a new car every five years? Older models are often so reliable that they can last for decades.
We don’t need closets stuffed with clothes, flashy home decor, or half the junk we buy on Black Friday just because it’s "on sale." I’m no minimalist, but I can admit that a lot of the things I’ve spent money on over the years are things I didn’t actually need.
I don’t need over 20 t-shirts or three phone cases. I don’t need to eat out or go out as often as I do. And let’s not even start on the mountains of gym supplements I’ve bought. But somehow, consumerism is being hardwired into our DNA.
On the flip side, I wonder: without consumerism, would we have made the technological progress we’ve achieved? It’s a double-edged sword. So many thoughts, so few answers. Maybe we’ll never figure out the perfect way to live—or find the perfect wife, car, phone, or shirt.
Maybe life on Earth is more about imperfection than perfection, and that’s just the way it is.
What do you think?
Have a great day, and see you all next time.
Thanks for your attention,
Adrian