Why Do We Collect So Much Stuff?
There’s an ancient question that humans have asked themselves since they first left the caves and moved into their new mud and brick huts somewhere in Mesopotamia; why do we collect so much stuff? It’s not easy to answer and it may have much to do with ancient instinct, but it isn’t really that bad. It’s more of a curiosity these days than anything else.
Consider a few of the things that many of us have in our homes that we’re never going to use again. For example, we long ago got a new rotisserie oven but the old one just looked too good to be let go and it soon found its way down to the basement where other food preparation implements were being stored, possibly for use during the Apocalypse when hospitality would dictate that we feed those four guys on their horses, right?
But the truth of the matter is we really don’t have much of an idea of why we’re holding on to that of an other than we don’t know what else we can do with it and it’s also true that even if the Apocalypse were to descend upon us we certainly wouldn’t want to waste time cooking food for much of anybody. Running the other way fairly quickly, or reselling that stuff at a garage sale, would be the preferred options.
At any rate, we can probably make quite a bit of money from many items that we’re no longer using, including the Hamilton Beach food processor that we replaced with a new Hamilton Beach product sometime ago. Why it’s down in the basement gathering dust we cannot say, but with all the kids gone and only us two in the home, needing two food processors probably isn’t really something that’s going to pop up, right?
And what’s the deal with that wireless baby monitor? The last time it was used, Knight Rider was still the big show on non-cable television and disco was just fading out. Unless it holds some sort of sentimental value, it might be a good idea to consign that monitor or to at least give it away to a young couple who might be able to put it to good use.
Truthfully, we really can’t explain why it is that we tend to turn into human versions of pack rats other than something in our heads is telling us that the old broken bow and arrow set that we once derived so much pleasure from will be magically repaired by Santa’s Christmas elves one night while we’re sleeping.
The answer to why we collect so much stuff is probably buried deep within each of us and is far easier to speculate on than to actually answer. But maybe it’s just because we’ve never gotten around to finally getting up and selling it off or giving it away to others who can use it. Besides, it’s a fair bet that any survivors of the Apocalypse aren’t going to want rotisserie chicken anytime soon.
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