Buying is not the answer.
Consumerism is such a trap. Just a year ago, when I was living a fiscally-minimalist lifestyle forced by my lack of consistent employment, I was able to make do on a yearly income of about $14,000. I was able to pay my bills, buy groceries, go out once in a while, and get by. I wasn't saving anything, but I still had a cash reserve. Now a year into full-time careerism, I blow a good portion of my paychecks on gourmet food, expensive bike parts, and restaurant meals when I'm too lazy and tired to cook. I'm saving and investing lots, which I somehow think rationalizes any bad fiscal behavior.
I've always been amazed by the tales of former-millionaires who went broke because they spend more than they make. How can someone plow through $10 million? It's easy -- just as easy as it is for someone making $30,000 to go broke just living a little extravagantly in an expensive city.
But money isn't really the point of this, right? It's the acquisition of stuff to take care of problems that don't need money to solve. Paying someone to tell you how to live your life or solve your small insignificant issues, such as a cluttered closet, seems extravagant, wasteful, and stupid.
I'm one to talk -- I have a room in my apartment dedicated to "my stuff", being five bicycles, books, and my computer. But, that room is everything, and despite its appearances, I don't feel encumbered by what I own because I use it all. Well, the books are something of an albatross -- anyone who has helped me move knows how many books I own and how heavy they make a box. But yeah, that's not the issue here, either.
The issue is getting out of the trap of trying to create value in one's life by the purchase of things. That's something we all have to reckon with, but unfortunately, something only few of us are cognizant of.
Kevin F
1 month ago
3 comments:
Dude... I just bought I bike I didn't need. Way to make me feel worse.
F**K!!!!
Nietzsche would describe this as the problem exemplified by the 'Last man'. The Last man seeks happiness in comfort and security, which are attained/sought by purchasing the trappings of a 'good life' and generally playing it safe. Consumerism is indeed a trap. At the same time, buying things like custom bikes affords people the opportunity to live their lives as an artisan. These bikes can be transformative (and stock bikes can too), if we create the contexts in which we can grow as people and experience life in its fullest. That is the both the promise and allure of the bicycle. Its up to us to decide which commodities are worthy of our money, i.e. time. That's the hard part. Racing complicates things even further.
and here we go with the xmas season. BUY! SPEND! GO IN DEBT!
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