There's much changing going on right now in how I perceive materialism in my own world, and I have been finding the courage to take some radical measures in the meantime. Selling any one of my gadgets is always a challenge for me due to my nature to hoard all my belongings, but it is a necessity that cannot be denied no matter how hard I try to do so.
Paying down debt is the priority of the day and I even went a step further and evaluated my iPod usage. I currently own a silver 80GB Classic, a 2GB second generation nano and a 32GB first generation Touch. This was simply iPod overload and I knew it as soon as I had purchased the Touch a long while ago. Even though the capacity of the new model wasn't enough to hold my entire iTunes library like the Classic, I justified the purchase only to have access to multi-touch features without the iPhone. After the first week I found myself missing the tactile feedback of the Click Wheel and didn't really care for navigating my music content with multi-touch, especially while driving. With the availability of so many other features after the App Store had been opened, I had successfully been convinced to stay with the Touch and kept my Classic on the sideline.
It wasn't until I had sold my HP laptop that I realized the need to sell one of my iPods. I fully expected to keep my Touch, but its capacity really didn't work to its advantage. Even though it was not as advanced in its feature offerings, the 80GB Classic was exactly what I needed and at one point had been my primary iPod. At that instant I gained my sense, immediately restored my Touch to factory conditions and placed it in its original box to be sold to a potential buyer.
After making this decision I do feel a certain kind of relief in going back to the Classic, and I hardly miss the Touch at all. I think that this relief may stem from the fact the Classic is all about simplicity for me whereas the Touch stands for the complete opposite. There is basically a choice between an 80GB iPod and a 32GB iPhone wannabe with all the bells and whistles, and I feel that I've made the right choice. I just want my entire iTunes library with me and this is sufficient enough for me without all the App Store hype, PIM apps and email features. Another good reason for pulling back to my Classic is the desire to spend less money. Let's face it...having even wifi access to an App Store or ANY kind of store would only inspire me to buy more stuff over time. I cannot count how many times I had been tempted to shell out a few bucks here and there for a tempting game or intriguing application...in fact, just days before restoring my Touch I had spent $10 on Super Monkey Ball!
With going back to the simple setup of having the Classic basically store all of my content onto a mobile vessel, I feel so much more free from the huge marketing machine of capitalism! This brings me to my formulating opinion of today's society and its dependence on money. Money is definitely what makes the world go 'round in the midst of politics and business, and consumers seem to be getting bombarded by marketing which is meant to entice and attract their interest. If a buyer's interest is strong enough, then there's money to be gained which goes to the bottom line of whatever business happens to be piloting that marketing machine. It is never good for consumers to become content or even complacent with their material possessions for extended periods of time, for businesses have to continue making money to survive. This is when marketing comes in to woo potential buyers to obtain the latest and greatest items with an implied promise that their lives will be so much better and fulfilled with this purchase. Once the new toy is bought the consumer thinks that he or she is made whole...until a new upgrade arrives! This is when the marketing comes in through various media outlets to plague the buyer's consciousness until they eventually give in and perpetuate the cycle. All of a sudden that first object which had previously been likened to filet mignon is now fried bologna!!
Not all consumers are participants in this circle of monetary spending, whether it be from steadfast willpower and common sense or simple lack of opportunity via poverty or insufficient funds. I personally cannot afford half of the things that I had bought in the past, but I had the opportunity through credit cards which could have been detrimental to my financial health before I became aware of it. Although I am making an active attempt to make a change for the better and avoid this cycle of spending, I still get tempted occasionally!
I don't know how I got onto a whole rant about this subject, but I think it may have something to do with the current financial state of the US in regards to this $700 billion bail out. There are many reservations I have about this whole situation and I won't even get into them now, but I wonder if this spending cycle has affected the stock markets as strongly as it had done for me.
While holding onto a Nokia E71-2 smartphone is hardly living with bare essentials, it's considerably better than where I used to be in the recent past. The more I ponder over this matter I get this increasing urge to drop everything and live a simple life in some remote countryside. Who is modern society to determine what is fulfillment in this life? There are plenty of people around this globe who are living fulfilled lives without technology, degrees and 401k accounts. As an American it is easy for me to assume that my way of life is considered better and more sought after to some third world country refugee, but is it really? I would like to someday hear the opinions of people who intentionally shun the ways of modern life here in the metropolitan areas. Maybe they would have some kind of insight into what life is all about. I would like to think that my purpose here on earth is more than just to earn a degree for more earning potential. I guess I am just yearning for something more after realizing that all of these material things are so finite...like life.
TRENT
Sent from my Nokia E71-2
