Screw the Joneses
February 19, 2008 by John in Money, Video Games
You Are Not Your Stuff, Your Stuff Is Not You (via Get Rich Slowly):
You are not your stuff. You are not what you own, how much money you have, the size of your house, your flat screen TV or your new car. In the end, none of this matters at all. None of it. It’s nice stuff to have, don’t get me wrong, and if you can afford it and have room for it in your life, go for it. But keep in mind that your stuff does not make you who you are. You know that license plate you see sometimes that says “He who dies with the most toys wins“? Actually, he who dies is dead and doesn’t win anything, and you don’t even get to take any toys with you! The reality of it is that you are more than the sum of your stuff, and the key to happiness is to start thinking as such.
I get quizzical looks from people when I tell them I’m saving up for a new Xbox 360. Yes, I could just go charge it. But I don’t need it, I want it. And wanting is not a good enough reason to go into debt. Saving up for it over a few months breaks the gimme gimme gimme cycle. It gives me time to consider whether I really need to spend the money, rather than being an impulse buy with potential for buyer’s remorse. An Xbox360 is not going to make me happy (actually, nothing ever will except, perhaps, riding my motorcycle), it’s just going to give me something to do, something that’s fun, and frustrating, especially if I keep playing video games against teenagers.