Consumerism

On my xanga blog, I've written a few posts in the past few years about my love/hate relationship with material things. I won't repeat those, but a startling thing occurred to me this week (ok, maybe it was only startling to me). I started thinking about some of the material things I value most. A number of things that topped the list were things that have been given to me, or are secondhand. Take my watch, for example. It's a Bulova watch, but it was my grandmother's. She got in in about 1960, and it's a wind-up watch. It's one of my favorite things that I have. Other jewelry is up there too... my other grandmother's pearls, 25th anniversary band, etc.

An odd thing that was on the list that spiked my curiousity is my Messiah score. Clearly, it does not have the monetary value of my jewelry, but it has sentimental value. When I first joined the Chorale, someone I didn't know very well gave me her old score to use because I was very new and didn't have one. Even after the new ones came in to purchase, she told me to keep hers. She has since become a very good friend, and I still have her score. She has been a member of the Chorale for many years, and it makes me smile to think of the many Messiah performances, snafus, and laughs this score has seen. I keep having the opportunity to purchase a new one, but I like the one I have. I will probably get it spiral-bound this year, though. It's an odd thing to be attached to, but the attachment is there nonetheless.

Anyway, I think the secondhand idea is part of the reason antiques are so popular. I still have my mom's bedroom suite that she got when she was in high school. I have no reason to get a new one...actually the old one is much better quality than anything I could afford today.

So, why are we still so driven to desire new things? I think there are many factors that go into this....but it's worth thinking about. What are some of the secondhand things that you value?