Fighting the Good Fight

Been awhile since I have been on. So if anyone still checks this blog, they will get to see the new posts. I had to stop blogging for some time due to carpal tunnel syndrome, but am recovering nicely and am in good spirits today. Now, on with the bloggerdom....

Those of you who know me and stay in touch with me will read this with an air of familiarity. Those that don't, this will come as not wholly a surprise, if we have at least had a few conversations. I decided some while back that I was starting a crusade against commercialism in its entirety. I guess it all started about the time that I was moving from TEXAS to missouri after I finished up at school. As I entered into adulthood, there were many new responsibilities, educational opportunities, and a lot of driving. Things like buying a house, finding a downpayment for said house, insurance of all kinds (disability, life, auto, homeowner's, prostate, nuclear attack, transmogrification). I bought a decent house in missouri, a nice little spread, 1600 sq ft, right on the edge of town. The house is nice, and old. It was built in 1982, and had not been updated since then.

Immediately, everyone had all these ideas of how to "fix up" the house, all of which involve money in varying amounts. I am all for a little dressing things up, and spent a little money on paint, and installed some light fixtures and ceiling fans. What I have found, is that is not enough for the average person anymore, as I will explain a little more later, but for now, another anecdotal story.

I recently got engaged, for those that don't know. I understand that historically a wedding and engagement ring are methodologies to encourage people to spend lavishly. However, this didn't soften the blows or rancid taste left in my mouth from dealing with people about this.

First the engagement ring. I did a lot of research about this. In doing so, I visited several jewlery stores in both missouri and oklahoma city. I realize the nature of sales is to encourage people to spend more money, especially if one gets paid based on percentages. What I cannot, and will not allow, is for people to try to sell me something and somehow attmept to connect it to my emotions, self-worth, respect, etc, etc. I ran into this alot when looking at engagement rings. Here are some of the phrases I encountered and some of my responses....

" You can't put a price on love".....ME : " I am not buying love, I think that is illegal in oklahoma, I am buying a diamond"
"This is the best way to show her you love her"
" Remember, she will wear this forever"
And my personal favorite " Any girl likes a bigger diamond, I know I do" .....ME: " When I decide to ask you to marry me, I will keep that in mind. "
Seriously, How much I care for my fiance is determined by how big a diamond I buy, that is what everyone is telling me? I meditated on this and it annoyed me. So I decided, I would only spend a certain amount, and refused to go over that, no matter that I could afford to easily go over that, because the whole scenario kept putting me off.

The beautiful and intelligent lady friend, now fiance-friend I suppose, has already encountered the same thing in looking at wedding details. Typical sales pitches are all the same as above in some form or fashion. All of them attempt to tie in a persons self-worth and respect with how much money they spend, how nice the flowers are, how nice the invitations are, what designer made the dress, where the reception is at, how big and beautiful the cake is, and for those of you who have been married, the list goes on and on. Once again, I have no problem with comforts, amenities, elegance and the like. However, I simply cannot tolerate when material possessions, ideas, events are somehow tied to my personal value and importance. Frankly, I feel both sad and amused by people who fall for this.

Understanably, the wedding business is mostly predicated on engaging people's emotions to get them to spend more money, and more than likely was one of the first business models to do so, as it is a big deal, and carries a significant amount of importance. The concerning aspect, and the reason for my battle against commercialism, is that this has simply spilled over into every facet of life for a large percentage of the population. You have to have a new car, a new phone, new furiture, new appliances, new clothes, new shoes, and on and on. I don't have an aversion to new things, however, I am of the opinion that I buy something new when I need it, not because some commercial or person tells me I need it. The disconcerting part of the trend is how a seemingly increasing number of people of all walks of life equate the newest and nicest thing with the value of another person. I just don't understand it. I still have shirts I wore in high school, and see no use in giving up on a garment, just because it is old. (Coincidentally, I can no longer fit in the jeans I wore in high school, or would wear them as well).

The fiance-friends contention is " Well, you buy a lot of hunting a fishing stuff" This is true, I do. I also use all those things. I dont' own one piece of hunting or fishing clothing or equipment that has not been used. Furthermore, I don't buy the top of the line, high dollar, most expensive equipment.

As a byproduct of this crusade, I have become somewhat of a minimalist. I try to buy as little as I can, and limit what I buy to what I need. This is the reason I have two empty bedrooms in my house with no furniture. I have no need for more furniture, I don't really need all of it that I have for that matter. This is the reason I have all used and or garage sell furniture, with the exception of my mattress. This is the reason I rarely buy new clothes. This is the reason my TV is from 1992. None of these things say anything about my personal value, unless you believe everything you hear and see in the media and from those annoying friends who are all about material things.

Lastly, because of these things, we have decided to get married in Mexico, for that reason, and the reason that is will be a blast.

Steak