fuyarde

In the past, objects were sturdy, repairable, did not require much maintenance, and lasted a lifetime. Nowadays, however, we are forced to buy a bunch of useless gadgets with an expiry date, due to planned obsolescence through advertising, poor-quality materials, virtually zero repairability, and so on. This forces us to constantly buy more.

In my opinion, the important thing is not necessarily to own a lot of objects, but rather to own a few that have been carefully chosen: useful, versatile, sturdy. If I had to name a few that still bring me so much happiness, day after day, year after year: Casio F91-W, Opinel n°8, my steel frying pan, Bialetti coffee maker. Honestly, I can spend tens of minutes admiring them, feeling how much I love these objects, every little detail, and also explaining all the reasons why owning and using them makes me happy.

In a kitchen, a knife, a chopping board, a frying pan and a saucepan are necessary for cooking a meal. And when it comes to baking, a whisk and a mixing bowl are enough. It is not necessary to have a whole army of kitchen appliances.

When we have a whole bunch of gadgets in our kitchen, do we really know how to cook? Can we admit that we prepared this meal ourselves? It's a step towards taking responsibility away from our actions and distancing ourselves from the food itself. All these gadgets are sold to us in adverts, a so-called multifunctional robot that can chop, cut, grill and steam, supposedly saving us time. However, in return, we waste our time working in jobs we hate in order to buy these kinds of objects that ultimately serve no purpose. Nothing beats your own hands.

At the extreme, we could imagine a home without superfluous items, small but sturdy, a roof with a bed, a table, a chair, a few clothes, a few books to keep us occupied and the essentials for cooking and washing. At best, accompanied by a garden where we can grow our own fruit and vegetables.

When it comes to getting around, depending on your physical condition, a bicycle can take you anywhere for free or at an affordable price if you take into account the few consumables, compared to a car.

If I had one piece of advice to give you, it would be to start by getting rid of your useless objects, clothes and furniture that are gathering dust. It does wonders for the mind.

True wealth is being able to continue to marvel at your few possessions as you did on the first day. ✷