I came across this quote while I was reading yesterday afternoon. It actually speaks to an issue I've had conversations about at various times throughout the years. Although this woman was talking about a particular place, her words are relevant to many people in many places. As someone who has been asked about Thanksgiving recently, it seemed particularly appropriate to this time when many people will get caught up in the Black Friday frenzy of consumerism. I've watched as Black Friday creeps earlier and earlier each year--and it's expanded here since we arrived. When we left the US, stores were even opening on Thanksgiving itself, although in the state we were last in, it was illegal to do so, thus giving employees the chance to actually have a holiday.
To give a bit of background, Mary McNelis lived in a very rural part of Ireland. It's not far from where we live now, although we've lived closer in the past. Decades ago, she started a small shop selling machine knit sweaters, mostly for kids. She prefers hand knitting, but the machine was quicker. Her business grew and her kids eventually took over and expanded into other kinds of textiles. This is what she had to say:
Do we need it all? I suspect that the answer is usually no. I think the last line will stay with me for a long time. 'Because we were happy before we ever got it.'
Mary's story is included in this book:
Happy Thanksgiving/Thursday!
12 comments:
Thanks Shari for you visit. I'll get you added to my blog list to make visiting back and forth easier. Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours.
Thanks, Sandy
Yes ... Happy Thanksgiving/Thursday!
All the best Jan
Thanks, Jan
I hope that Thanksgiving was utterly memorable for you, Shari. I think that life filled only with things that we need would be a little dull. Can you imagine asking the question, “Do I need one more book?” As for the enjoyment of your stuffing, you could create a dietary régime where you ate only what it took to maintain a healthy body. Perhaps only one serviceable set of clothes. On and on it goes. No, I don’t think I want to live with only what I need. I am looking forward to a trip to Colombia on Monday and one could certainly argue that I don’t need that, but when I think of the splendid flora and fauna that I will discover, perhaps deep inside I really do need it! Have a great weekend - David
Of course a life filled with only what we need wouldn't be as satisfying and I don't think she was saying that people shouldn't have wants. I'm certainly not saying that. However, for those of us fortunate enough to be able to satisfy wants, we sometimes mistake wants for needs and we'd do well for ourselves and our habitat to think more carefully about what we truly need and what is something we want. I'm surrounded by things I don't need but am glad I have. However there are also things that people insist I need that I obviously do not--like a car, for example. Or there's my friend who stressed herself out years ago because she wanted a particular set of drawer pulls for her kitchen and drove several hours to get them. She 'needed' those. Now if it was me, I wouldn't even think about new drawer pulls unless I couldn't open a drawer. Then I'd go to a local store, see what they had, and choose something there. I wouldn't go online, spend hours of my life searching through possibilities, then wasting a day to go and get them. Years ago, my friend would have been limited in her choices as well and would have saved herself a great deal of stress. The woman in the quote wasn't saying that she thought electricity was bad, to use that specific example. She was just saying that as things evolve, we gain some things but we lose things too. You and I are both lucky to be able to do/have things we want instead of struggling to meet our basic needs. And often our wants create situations where other people have to struggle every day. And certainly the environment would be better off if we didn't have such a sense of entitlement about getting things we want. I hope you have an excellent trip, David. Safe travels.
Regarding the line "We were happy before we got it", I think it's grossly ahistorical. Since the Neolithic revolution, the histories of our societies are histories of inequalities, violence, discrimination. When capitalism came about and the class society started taking its familiar shape, I doubt we were "happy". The problem is that we live in a world with massive inequalities. I think that's the lens through which we should all be looking at it. Do we need it all? Consumerism is a product of this very system, and critiquing consumerism can be valid if it is done thoroughly - however, there are many critics of consumerism who do not do so thoroughly. No, we whould be looking at the effects on the environment, on waste production etc. But all these issues come, in the end, down to the capitalist mode of production and consumption. Now, the biggest and hardest question is: How to end capitalism? And oh my god, even as a left-wing person myself, that's a question with a billion dollar question, if I put it strangely like this.
Do we need it all? I don't think we have it all. I don't think we all have equal access to it all. How to get the equal access to it all, that's a huge question.
I agree with some of your comment, Distortus, and disagree with some. As an anthropologist, I am of course aware of how humans and societies evolved and so I agree with you about the rise of inequality, etc. That's pretty well documented at this point. I also agree with you about consumerism and the many problems it brings with it and about the lack of thorough critique (and walking the talk as a result of that critique). Crucial. And your billion dollar question is important. I think that capitalism will, at some point, collapse under its own weight. How that will play out, I have no idea but we clearly can't go on like this.
I would disagree in the strongest possible terms about your opening statement. Not you, not me, not anyone can make valid statements about what someone else is feeling. You say that you doubt we were happy. I'm not sure who 'we' is for one thing. The woman quoted was talking about her experience in a particular time and place. She was also saying that while people, both within and outside of that culture, talk about how awful it used to be, they didn't necessarily consider it so at the time. And she wasn't trying to analyze capitalism as a system, but she did highlight an important factor, which is that once people became aware of what others had, they wanted more. Where they used to be content with their lives, comparison made them discontented. This is why I don't think we will actually solve the problems we face--people are people and will always grasp. My argument is that most of us (who have choices) are not thoughtful enough about making distinctions about needs and wants. We should be considering exactly the things you mentioned, but even if we do, it's easy to rationalize. Anyway, thank you for your thoughtful comment.
When we get right down to it, we don't NEED much -- food, shelter, clothing are basic. I put love in that category too. Good medicine when appropriate or medical care. And sometimes we need a break! But it's more fun to live with what you like or love -- and if that's stuffing (or peppermint stick ice cream!) or yet another book or more yarn (I used to knit. There is never enough yarn), then I say have it. Just call it for what it is!
Exactly! Today the postman brought me a new book and some yarn. Did I need it? No. Am I happy to have it? You bet I am! 🙂
I don't think we need Black Friday as it's getting to be. I didn't mind it when there were actually deals to be had, but this year with the Dubbah-Head's stupid tariffs, the deals stink and people don't have the money. Plus a lot of the stuff on sale is junk that ends up in trash. Why does it have to start weeks early? Maybe it just needs to have a name change to November sales. Although giving gifts is good for your soul (when you gift someone something they would really like), it is not really needed in the big scheme of life. But then as you've already read in some comments, there are things we all want and don't need. I'm not sure Black Friday is really about those things we want versus companies trying to make a bunch of money. and luring people in with promises of cheap prices which aren't really there. I hope you're having a super weekend.
Good point about usefulness or lack thereof. In a few places we lived tere was a store that would always have sheets and socks for half price as part of the Black Friday offerings. People would go on that morning and get enough for the year.
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