Sunday, March 8, 2009

Capitalism & other kids stuff

As long as I can remember, I've been "wanting" stuff. Of course, as a kid, you always want that toy that seems so out of reach. Since my parents worked in showbiz and I travelled a lot all over Europe, I never did have dreams of seeing new places, that was just part of my everyday life ("Running away with a circus" wasn't really an option since we worked at one). Money was always tight though, so my main focus became my infantile (and VERY tenacious) need for toys. I think the only time in my life I actually prayed was at the age of ten: I asked the Almighty to bring me that LEGO pirate boat for my next birthday (didn't work, never prayed since). I guess that is all understandable, as kids we've probably all experienced the jealousy of the neighbour and his/her toys.

Thing is, even after I turned eighteen I couldn't loose that sense of needing to catch up to everything I wanted to have. At first, I didn't really care about what it was, the feeling of earning enough money to be able to buy stuff was so exhilarating that I even bought things I'd never come to use. With time, I went for consecutively more expensive stuff. Around that time I made the "ultimate" list of what i wanted (32 inch TV, nice computer, a "non ancient" cellphone, a surround sound system and a lot more...). As a result, I sit today in an apartment with over 1200 DVDs, a 42 inch TV, two computers, a PS3, and lots more stuff I'll most probably never use. Point is: My list is empty and I haven't added more.

Is it a sign of maturity? I certainly don't think so. But still, there should be some kind of reason why I'm totally satisfied with what I have now and have completely cured my need for the "next thing" (you know what I mean tekkies!). Beats me, but please tell me if you know!

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