They say you shouldn't fix it (no matter what) if it ain't broken. Well, to what extent should we hold on to the old before transitioning to the new?
I drive a 21-year-old car, and if I were to drive it until its very last days, I'd probably hit retirement age, and she'd still be driving quite well. But what do you miss by clinging to old stuff and not buying into what's new and trendy?
When it comes to smartphones, you're mostly missing out on camera capabilities and battery life, but other than that, not much as an average user of such gadgets. With cars, I'd say comfort and safety are the big ones, but what about houses?
I walked by some interesting houses today. There were these neighbors where one had a brand-new house, which is definitely worth a few hundred thousand dollars, while his neighbor had a very old one that was practically glued to it.
It's clear the guy on the left had more money, which is why he built a new house or completely renovated the old one. But there were more such houses in that area, and I kept asking myself the same question: when do you transition from old to new?
The short answer would be: as soon as the bank allows you to. But is it worth always being on the hustle for shiny new stuff, redecorating the house, or changing the car every five years? Not really...
However, the way I see it, evolution is tied to consumerism, and as much as I hate consumerism, it's because of this damn disease that we get to have some of the nice things we do. Same as with food—you don't have to eat ice cream every day, but you'd be a fool to deny yourself some once in a while...
Thanks for your attention,
Adrian
