No resolutions this year. Just one question: What do I (you) own?
(Art History print by Vuk Vidor)
resolve
Every time modern technology presents us with a new possibility, we quickly learn to see it as a necessity, and it becomes a default. The process is becoming shorter and shorter. Consumption has become something that we see as only right and proper.
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The problem is that when new technology becomes a default in our lives, it can no longer bring us happiness or a sense of fulfillment. On the contrary, an absence of these defaults can make us unhappy. This kind of lifestyle leads to higher and higher default levels, and an ever-greater desire to consume.When the resources that support this consumption have all but disappeared, and the environment can no longer take the strain, it will be too late to cancel these default settings. It is much easier to go from simplicity to extravagance, than to go from extravagance to simplicity. It has always been this way.
from the article Default settings and modern lifestyles by Yu Aiqun
I have been thinking a bit about new year’s resolutions recently. I’d like to believe that we can all make the the changes we want to and have a fresh start on January first, but I am weary of compiling a list of resolutions. After reading this article, I think it best to stick with what I’ve already been working on - simplicity. The uncomplicated, drama-free life is the one for me.
