What do you think of when you think of the word “materialistic” or “materialism?”
When I think of this word, I think of typically expensive things, such as jewelry, and designer clothes and shoes. Things that are pretty but not what you might call “useful.” At least, I don’t. Then again, depending on who you ask, (like my dad) the same could be said for books.
Personally, all my extra funds are spent on books. Since discovering PangoBooks, the majority of the books I buy are used and discounted. But since I could get them from the library, you could make the argument that buying so many books, new or otherwise, could also be considered “materialistic.”
What do you think?
Yes. I had several large bookcases in my old house. Nearly filled with books. And when I decided to downsize I had to have a come to Jesus with it. We had read the vast majority of them, but we never looked at them or used them anymore. In deciding to get rid of them, I realized how much of my identity was tied up in thinking of myself as a person with books - but that’s fairly silly. Books are just objects. They’re impermanent like everything else. And that’s just not the world we live in anymore. Everything is digital now. So I got rid of them - it was hard, but as I suspected then - I don’t miss them now.
I will say, that I do have some deeper thoughts on the importance of having libraries with physical copies, because if we were to ever have some massive solar storm, or other catastrophe that decimated the internet and electronics…we’d lose a great deal of knowledge and information. That is concerning.