The more things I have, the less I want them.
I didn’t grow up rich or poor, but we were always trying to pinch pennies, to make the most of what we had. For one, we’d never been able to go on holidays as a family, it wasn’t even an idea we could entertain. I am aware that as I describe this middle-class setting, I am already more privileged than I can fathom.
I was fortunate enough to have all my basic necessities covered, allowing me to long for more. Still, we had to be careful with our things and would not think to ask the latest things from our parents. So like everyone else, I grew up wishing for things : the newest clothes, cars, holidays.
At some point though, it stopped mattering.
Now that I am able to have these things, I realise I do not really want them, I do not wish to hang on to them. Owning things weighs me down. A little like when you have had a too-heavy meal, and realise you overdid it. My arms hurt from carrying all this…stuff (nameless, characterless objects) and all I want is to go straight to what is essential. Everything else is just add-ons; I wouldn’t, couldn’t be happy with more.
So no, I do not want these markers of “success”, these…accessories. They distract from what is truly important. Like gaudy jewellery and shiny baubles that divert the attention from a simple, elegant dress.
Pare everything down, strip it to the core. I do not want more than what is essential.
Owning things does not fulfil me. It does not make me happy or content. It could never rival the simple things in life that I adore : rain, a worn, comfortable shirt, warmth, time spent with family and friends.
In fact, things come in the way of all that. Material gains make you forget what you were looking for truly, all this time.
And by that, I do not mean I will not buy material goods. It does not mean that I will not own a phone. It means I will not rush headlong into buying the latest iPhone, just because it is the latest iPhone.
I will not listen to what the world says I need in order to be happy. I know what I need. And it is not material possessions bought for the sake of owning them or impressing others.
It is the simple things. Always has been, always will be.
Quote of the day:
« On ne voit bien qu’avec le cœur. L’essentiel est invisible pour les yeux. »
“It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.”
— Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
Young Adult, Old Soul 
I love this! Thank you for sharing. I relate as well–I’m not particularly interested in shiny STUFF, aside from the functionality (i.e an iPhone > flip phone, but new iPhone < decent iPhone). The quote from Little Prince is so perfect, too. The things that matter–to the heart, at least–are the things we can't see.
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I am so glad you can relate! Sometimes I worry I’m odd for thinking that way. But definitely, I don’t see a point in just owning something. It’s sortof like the businessman from The Little Prince who owns stars just to own them, and who keeps owning more and more. It’s as if ownership of the object is more important than the object itself. And I’m not into that, I already have enough mess as it is lool
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