---- The Disposable Era - We are Not Starved for Choices, we are Starved for Connection ----
The Disposable Era - We are Not Starved for Choices we are Starved for Connection
Some of you may have heard me say this on MSP Waves Radio, in the chat on discord or on steemit comments and articles. It has been a point of interest in various conversations I have had with people, but what do I mean when I say “we are not starved for choices but connection”? This comment is a reflection on today’s society, what the social norms dictate is acceptable interaction between one another. Unfortunately what I have been observing as normal acceptable social behavior is “not great” when we analyze the data beyond face value.
It is no secret that humans are easily manipulated, a quick look at the history books, psychological data, etc. indicates that mankind can be made to do some horrific things with some simple suggestive influences. Various systems in place force people to conform in particular areas ie schooling system, governments, police, laws etc. these factors are strict, rigid and dictate some of the interaction of mankind. Where we have “somewhat” of a say is in the cultural and social norms, these are dictated by the majority of the crowd as to what is acceptable, this is our area of focus.
Mankind has made incredible advances in technology aiding our existence on the planet, we have an abundance of many things we struggled to attain in the past. Agriculture gives us food, science has advanced our medial fields, better building materials improve living standards, and electronics now have us more connected than ever before. With all these improvements it is hard to comprehend what it is that makes many of us feel that there is still something we are missing.
Enter the social conditioning designed to create consumers. There was a time when things were built to last, cars, white goods, TV’s, you name it. Quality and durability was at the forefront of products being promoted “it was built to last”. Over time market saturation created an issue for those selling the products. If everyone has a refrigerator that will last “forever” then once all the people of the world have a refrigerator then there will be little to no need for new refrigerators to be made and sold right? This is the roots of Planned Obsolescence.
Planned Obsolescence
Business practice of deliberately outdating an item (much before the end of its useful life) by stopping its supply or service support and introducing a newer (often incompatible) model or version. Its objective is to prod the consumer or user to abandon the currently owned item in favor of the 'upgrade.' Most prevalent in computer hardware and software industry.
Although this concept is attributed to computer hardware and software in the description above, the concept of Planned Obsolescence is attributed to the automotive industry in the 1920’s. However, there is also considerable data which dates Planned Obsolescence back further than this period of time. The concepts driving force is “There will always be a reason to upgrade/replace and if not… make one”. This design means that there will always be an abundance of people looking for “something”, because of this there are numerous choices when looking for said “something”. Numerous features, designs, options, sizes etc. for your brand new “something” that’s designed to fail, this is why I believe we are living in a “disposable era”…
When we combine the concepts from the information attained, ease of human conditioning, societal norms, consumerism, Planned Obsolescence, we start getting a picture of how we are being steered into a mindset that observes our surroundings as a consumerist playground. If something is broken, don’t fix it buy a new one. If something works but isn’t “perfect”, replace it. In fact you don’t even need a reason, just feel like a change? Get a new one… there is always something else out there.
The issue arises when we start taking this concept into our social realms, in fact it is promoted as being good to do so. We are treated and treat others the same way that we would anything else in the consumerist circle and it has been normalized to do so, it has become the way of standard human social interaction. We can have thousands of friends on Facebook, but still be incredibly isolated, are they friends? People who care about you and you for them? or just a means to add to the number on the “friends count”. New pets get a bad run in this instance, if they pee on the floor, are too loud, don’t obey, etc. they are sent to the pound or given away and getting a “better one”. Instead of honoring the commitment made, treating the animal like a family member and working with them to overcome whatever issues arise. How about Tinder? People shopping, don’t like what you see swipe left, like it? Swipe right. When you meet up with them, don’t feel an instant connection? Don’t worry another person is only a swipe away.
This is where the saying comes into play “We are not starved for choice, we are starved for connection”. We have SO many choices, so much more than ever before, and yet we struggle for any form of decent connection to what is around us, be it to our possessions, pets, people in our lives and much more. The irony exists within those of us caught in the cycle. We feel the emptiness of the lack of connection, that void which cannot be filled, yet we persist in utilizing this method which has conditioned us to make swift judgments and replace anything not immediately suiting us which leads to a lack of connection to anything at all. It is a self-perpetuating cycle of emptiness we choose to engage in due to the social construct of modern living.
Kintsugi / Kintsukuroi
There is a Japanese art form in which items broken are repaired with Gold (or precious metals), this art from is called Kintsugi (golden joinery) it is also known as Kintsukuroi (golden repair). This art form entails repairing broken pottery with lacquer mixed with precious metals such as powdered gold, silver, or platinum. The philosophy behind this art form is that it treats breakage and repair as part of the history of an object, this gives the item character and additional value rather than something to hide or disguise.
If we are to take anything from the art form of Kintsugi / Kintsukuroi it is that there is value in the connection we have to items, to the history we share with it, to the story of the struggles we faced and overcame, to the fact that we saved what was once broken, that there is more to what is before us than meets the eye. However, I would like to propose that this concept goes beyond far beyond our possessions and material things. That Kintsugi / Kintsukuroi is applicable to our connections with many things in our lives and that it can add value when seeking to fill that void left in our soul due to a lack of connectedness.
It is up to us to recognize how we are being psychologically manipulated and veered towards this form of herd mentality and take steps to head towards a more autonomous path that is congruent with how we would like to be, not what is dictated to us by the societal constructs designed to keep us divided. We must be the change we want to see in the world and accept nothing less from those we choose to allow into our personal lives. We must choose to awaken from our slumber and not be hoodwinked and bamboozled by the influx of choice, or the illusion of choice, when it comes to what we allow influence our decision making. Its our responsibility to do the leg work and search for the kinds of connections we seek to find because when we find a true connection, all the other choices don’t matter.
Much love in all your directions
Cope
Awesome my friend... Clay asked me to talk with him this saturday (sunday for you) on his show... maybe you could join as well, this would be a great convo to have...
Thanks mate, i will see how i go we have Mothers Day here in oz this Sunday, but definitely keen to get your guys thoughts on the matter for sure :)
You're so great at the simplification and coadunation a string of complex and seemingly disconnected ideas.
Connection is the most important step in positive change. Without it, nothing changes.
🙏🏽
Thanks Nate, just callin it how i see it, but yeah i like to join dots and try see things from another point of view then put it out there for some convos :) analogies dont always transfer well but even if it just kinda makes sense its enough to facilitate that "out of box thinking" about the subject :) much love.
We are actually employ very similar strategies with analysing and communicating things and their connections and I’ve noticed we think along similar lines, from a philosophical standpoint.
But just had to give some appreciation your way.
You included so many good points to illustrate this. Kintsugi, for one.
A wabi-sabi view of life... (I think that's one of the biggest reasons I love all things Japanese so much.) I love that perspective, applied to all things in life, and I think it's a dying one as the entire world becomes more Westernized. Seems that way to me. I hate to say that, to sound so negative, but maybe there are more people than I realize feeling the lack of meaning in the new status quo of how we relate to each other and the things we own.
I've spoken to more than a few who feel this way, so I think there is a trend of turning away from it, to find more meaning. After all, one of the most current trends is minimalism right now. But then, that plays into the disposable culture in its own way too. That we can always just go out and buy again whatever we might need to replace after we've gotten rid of it in our quest to become more 'spiritually enlightened'.
So much feels like a fad, like some rental to try on and try out and, sooner than later, discard. And I've been guilty of it myself, with things and in ways, because it's easy. I guess that's where my cynicism comes into play. I resent it. Kinda chuckling here to say I'm writing this on the day my smartphone has officially died, of no clear reason other than obsolescence.
It irks me, but there's good that comes with every bad. We do have nice things. Too bad we have so much we tend to take it all for granted.
Nice writing and love to you too. (Extra cool points for mentioning the Stanford Prison Experiment. The movie about that was good. And fucking refrigerators...don't get me started on fucking refrigerators. My language just might turn a bit more 'adult'. Those are worse than cellphones. That's a true conspiracy if there ever was one. I think the most poignant thought about this in my mind at the moment is that the only people who remember the time before this new reality are now aged and/or dying. What happens when they're gone? Who remembers if we forget to listen to them?)
@intspekt , Thanks for the super detailed reply, it good to know people are reading and taking in the signal im sending 😊 sorry it took me a while to get this response, there was just so much to unpack in your comment 😊
Yes there is many faults in the western way of thinking and one of the most prominent is that “there is nothing better than our way of thinking“. If we are not capable of examining our own thought processes, behaviors and methods of interaction etc. and acknowledging the flaws to try and rectify inconsistencies then we are doomed to continue on the same path, to not grow or evolve. there is much to be learned for observing other cultures, lifestyles, etc. which will help humanity better itself.
What I believe is that we are hindering ourselves from moving forward by clinging to these out dated methods of interacting with one another. That being said, whatever the paradigm shifts to im more than open for “that” to change as we move forward as well. Being static does not promote growth, there is not “final answer”, there are unequivocal truths. However, the human condition feels a considerable amount of dissonance when we feel we don’t know something, it can make us question our mortality, so we fool ourselves into thinking that we do have the answers to make us feel better. Again if we could acknowledge and accept these faults in ourselves we can take steps to counter this method of thinking. This would require independent though, critical thinking, etc. but this is too much for some to handle…. So I guess the saying “ignorance is bliss” is relevant in these kinds of scenarios.
The inconvenient truth is that we have to take some responsibility for ourselves and our own actions. What we feel is lacking in our lives is based on our own choices to adhere to the social norms that keep us feeling the disconnect in our lives, that makes us believe that material possessions/ money will fill the void in our hearts and our souls. It is up to us to move in a direction which is congruent with our autonomy and who we are, even if it mean going against the grain of what the social norms would dictate. In the words of the great Chris Cornell “to be yourself is all that you can do”
Humans tend to like analogies and comparisons to help gain an understanding of any particular concept, for instance when we explain steemit to non-users we may say “its like FB but you get paid for your content” it helps bridge to an understanding. However, this can be detrimental to the understanding we design as we can have considerable attribution errors attached to the new concept. When we transfer the concept of Planned Obsolescence and apply it to mankind’s interactions with one another we end up dehumanising people and treating them like objects as opposed to sentient beings.
Yes technology is an easy go to for observing Planned Obsolescence from fridges, phones, cars, computers, and anything else like that get “new and improved” versions all the time, or they break within a few years. Gone are the days of building things to last because that is not profitable. But the reason it happens is because we choose to accept it, we fall for the bullshit sales tactics, we buy the fear they sell us…
I found this today. And since my entire response was one wily tangential leap across to anywhere I might land, softly, at all?, somewhere within your view, I figure this might fit...
Life is a teacher. This was a lesson I learned here...as I went off to 'think on all I'd just said'. Inner critic said "hey listen", I said "but I am, I did", little mean green man in my head being a real pesky booger then said, "no you did'n, not really".
I think he was right. Maybe that's one of our biggest problems, all of us... Time divided, attention divided. Listening is hard. Disagreeing is easy when you don't listen. Disagreeing is as easy as agreeing, though. Pick a side and, 😊Thank You Have A Nice Day😊. Understanding why we think what we do is the hard part. I feel like so little discussion ever goes that far.
I'm writing this after spending some time thinking on free speech censorship; it just brought me full circle back to here. Maybe I think too much. But then, maybe there's a reason that this time it was this.
(I'm not particularly a fan of this man, but I do agree with his views on free speech and advice on listening.) Food for thought regarding debate, I suppose. And my apologies for writing so much after the payout, but I really find these kind of topics interesting to discuss.
really good read, so true
Great post... eye opening.