Ownership as Burden…

The graphic above and the quote below totally hit home for me. “Ownership as a Burden” is a term that I have been thinking about a lot recently. Especially now, with a pending move ahead of us, I go through my stuff and ask myself ‘what’s really active’?

“As quickly as a new laptop becomes yesterday’s technology in a brittle plastic shell, or a power tool idly collects dust in the garage, it seems that material possessions are changing from treasure into junk, from security into liability, from freedom into burden, and from personal to communal.”

From an article by Rich Radka for Sharable. Found over on Uncomsumption.

4 Comments leave a comment below

  1. This seems to me to be the tip of the iceberg.

    What is the value of possession if you can have anything instantly?
    Any book, song, movie or art in the click of a mouse.

    Service based models are slowly crumbling the value model on possession.

    Instant access to everything from anywhere.
    Why buy a media or medium?

  2. I should look at this chart every time I want to buy something new I really don’t need. In a tiny house, all space is at a premium.

  3. My phrase for this that I came up with in July of 2010: “All material ownership is a form of distraction.”

    (Yes, I’m either nerdy of vain: I keep a Tiddlywiki with my best quotes and -isms.)

  4. I know it’s cheesy but that good ol fight club quote “The things you own end up owning you” seems to fit in quite well here. So essentially what I’m saying is ditto to smallerdemon’s response, Haha.

    oh and by the way, long time lurker, very seldom commenter. just wanted to say keep up the great work. You’re on my daily take-a-peek-at websites list. :)