In the Habit of Acquiring
Merry Christmas Everyone! In Lieu of a proper greeting post (been so busy with deadlines, parties and what-not), here's a little wake-upper I wrote last year November when I was still obsessing about Louis Vuitton and Fendi. Not that I don't feel the same way now, but I'm proud to say that I've recovered since then.
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In the Habit of Acquiring
We are the slaves of objects around us, and appear little or important according as these contract or give us room to expand. - Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe
To many, this season brings about the habit of acquiring things. It begins with a yearning, a deep sincere wish for an object or an event that one deems as important, essential even. As you think endlessly of this object, you tend to develop a sort of dependence, thinking that this is the ONE THING that would change your life.
And perhaps, indeed, it may! Your spanking new black Macbook with the too-cool feature of a built-in webcam would make your dreams of becoming a big shot writer come true. “This is it”, you tell yourself. “If I get this, writing jobs would come crashing my gmail server, if I get this my life would change forever”. Such is also the logic of an aspiring photographer who has patiently waited and pined for that Canon 5D, convinced that it could jumpstart a lukewarm fashion photography career. Or what of the music connoisseur who will form a band if, and when he gets the following things (not necessarily in order): an ipod to store all his potential band songs, an electric guitar to learn the pentatonic scale, and a wow magic sing for daily vocalization.
I for one thought along the same lines. Until of course I got the next best thing, the newest gadget, the latest “it” thing to have. And the cycle never stopped since then. After all, in the aftermath of the latest designer bag, there would still be the new anti-aging cream, or the spanking new luminosity foundation for a better photogenic you. I have often deluded, and argued, to myself that the acquisition of certain things would bring in unbelievable opportunity and would bring about a gargantuan change in my way of life.
Years later you will realize that objects can never change you -- they can only expand your perspective. Acquiring the Fendi Spy bag will never give you instant status, nor will it make people forget that you have duped them into investing in your networking scheme. With it, however, you can make yourself believe that you are becoming better and better everyday, even if you’re pretty much just as psycho as you started. A new phone would not bring in new clients nor revive old ones that you have lost because of your neglect. It would be a means to get in touch with them, but it could only happen if you take that step.
We like physical things because they are shortcuts to our dreams. Whether it is super stardom you seek or happiness in the arms of your childhood crush, these are tangible paths to that goal and that makes them easier to grasp than a greeting card standard of hope and love. Objects inspire people to go beyond their present lifestyle, sometimes for the good of mankind, oftentimes as an avenue for self-destruction. It is this dependence that makes us human, and as Buddhist monks would say, transcending materialism would lead to the divine.
So next time you start writing your Christmas registry, remember that objects are merely tools of the trade, and should always be used as such. They help you gain perspective but it is always up to you to use them as an opportunity to transform your life. It is easy to get in the habit of acquiring, you simply have to want, and believe that this object is necessary for you to live properly.
So what does it take? Diligence, persistence, and passion - standard greeting card stuff.
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In the Habit of Acquiring
We are the slaves of objects around us, and appear little or important according as these contract or give us room to expand. - Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe
To many, this season brings about the habit of acquiring things. It begins with a yearning, a deep sincere wish for an object or an event that one deems as important, essential even. As you think endlessly of this object, you tend to develop a sort of dependence, thinking that this is the ONE THING that would change your life.
And perhaps, indeed, it may! Your spanking new black Macbook with the too-cool feature of a built-in webcam would make your dreams of becoming a big shot writer come true. “This is it”, you tell yourself. “If I get this, writing jobs would come crashing my gmail server, if I get this my life would change forever”. Such is also the logic of an aspiring photographer who has patiently waited and pined for that Canon 5D, convinced that it could jumpstart a lukewarm fashion photography career. Or what of the music connoisseur who will form a band if, and when he gets the following things (not necessarily in order): an ipod to store all his potential band songs, an electric guitar to learn the pentatonic scale, and a wow magic sing for daily vocalization.
I for one thought along the same lines. Until of course I got the next best thing, the newest gadget, the latest “it” thing to have. And the cycle never stopped since then. After all, in the aftermath of the latest designer bag, there would still be the new anti-aging cream, or the spanking new luminosity foundation for a better photogenic you. I have often deluded, and argued, to myself that the acquisition of certain things would bring in unbelievable opportunity and would bring about a gargantuan change in my way of life.
Years later you will realize that objects can never change you -- they can only expand your perspective. Acquiring the Fendi Spy bag will never give you instant status, nor will it make people forget that you have duped them into investing in your networking scheme. With it, however, you can make yourself believe that you are becoming better and better everyday, even if you’re pretty much just as psycho as you started. A new phone would not bring in new clients nor revive old ones that you have lost because of your neglect. It would be a means to get in touch with them, but it could only happen if you take that step.
We like physical things because they are shortcuts to our dreams. Whether it is super stardom you seek or happiness in the arms of your childhood crush, these are tangible paths to that goal and that makes them easier to grasp than a greeting card standard of hope and love. Objects inspire people to go beyond their present lifestyle, sometimes for the good of mankind, oftentimes as an avenue for self-destruction. It is this dependence that makes us human, and as Buddhist monks would say, transcending materialism would lead to the divine.
So next time you start writing your Christmas registry, remember that objects are merely tools of the trade, and should always be used as such. They help you gain perspective but it is always up to you to use them as an opportunity to transform your life. It is easy to get in the habit of acquiring, you simply have to want, and believe that this object is necessary for you to live properly.
So what does it take? Diligence, persistence, and passion - standard greeting card stuff.