Trashing Our Stuff
What do you do with items that are ruined in one way but still perfect in every other respect?
I have two pairs of boots that look perfect. They have barely any signs of wear or scuffs or anything. They could basically pass for brand new... until you turn them over. I've walked clear through the soles. There is just nothing left in some places. I've looked into getting them resoled, but that costs more than just buying a new pair of boots and might not be possible with the way the shoes are designed. I suppose if they were resoled with better quality soles that would last longer than a new pair, it might be worth the investment, but I don't know going in that that will be the case or even that it is definitely doable.
Related to the above: I hate fashion! When I do a search for "motorcycle boots," this is not what I want! That is not a motorcycle boot!
My bookbag similarly looks basically brand new. There are a couple of places with tiny frays or similar, but it is overall in very good condition. But the zipper on the laptop pouch is broken so that it just cannot be closed. I've been using it with safety pins holding it closed on the sides so I can move the laptop straight in and out from the top then looping a bungee cord through the various straps to keep the top sort of closed. It works, but it certainly looks odd. I've taken it to multiple repair shops, and they all say the zipper is too embedded and would take more work to replace than they are willing to do and if they were willing then it would cost more than a new bag.
The last time I replaced my cellphone, it was because the power button stopped working. Everything else about the phone worked 100%, but the inability to ever turn it off or back on again was an insurmountable problem. I know that it was probably just one loose connection and a simple solder on the internal circuitry would have fixed it, but I can't crack the phone open and get in there to do it.
Why do we have to replace things when one tiny part breaks? Why can't we fix anything anymore? The answers to these are of course wrapped up in things like planned obsolescence and our over consumption of everything, but it really bugs me that I can't find a good way out of that. Of less philosophical and more immediate concern for me, what am I supposed to do with the largely still perfect items that just have one stupid broken part when I give in and replace them?
I have two pairs of boots that look perfect. They have barely any signs of wear or scuffs or anything. They could basically pass for brand new... until you turn them over. I've walked clear through the soles. There is just nothing left in some places. I've looked into getting them resoled, but that costs more than just buying a new pair of boots and might not be possible with the way the shoes are designed. I suppose if they were resoled with better quality soles that would last longer than a new pair, it might be worth the investment, but I don't know going in that that will be the case or even that it is definitely doable.
Related to the above: I hate fashion! When I do a search for "motorcycle boots," this is not what I want! That is not a motorcycle boot!
My bookbag similarly looks basically brand new. There are a couple of places with tiny frays or similar, but it is overall in very good condition. But the zipper on the laptop pouch is broken so that it just cannot be closed. I've been using it with safety pins holding it closed on the sides so I can move the laptop straight in and out from the top then looping a bungee cord through the various straps to keep the top sort of closed. It works, but it certainly looks odd. I've taken it to multiple repair shops, and they all say the zipper is too embedded and would take more work to replace than they are willing to do and if they were willing then it would cost more than a new bag.
The last time I replaced my cellphone, it was because the power button stopped working. Everything else about the phone worked 100%, but the inability to ever turn it off or back on again was an insurmountable problem. I know that it was probably just one loose connection and a simple solder on the internal circuitry would have fixed it, but I can't crack the phone open and get in there to do it.
Why do we have to replace things when one tiny part breaks? Why can't we fix anything anymore? The answers to these are of course wrapped up in things like planned obsolescence and our over consumption of everything, but it really bugs me that I can't find a good way out of that. Of less philosophical and more immediate concern for me, what am I supposed to do with the largely still perfect items that just have one stupid broken part when I give in and replace them?