Consumerism

So, we all do this.

Don't deny it, everyone who has had a facebook page has probably stalked people at least once. I went through the profiles of several old high school mates who are not on my friends list.

I thought about how much people belittled me back then. I happen to be from a very pretentious private french high school in Istanbul, in which most of the students were and still are, filthy rich. It's quite disturbing to see how they define happiness. It's more based on the experiences they purchase, or the clothes they get to wear, the events they get to attend.

It's good that I no longer have them added, because our aspirations are so different. We get to talk with my boyfriend Doruk about this a lot. How different our plans for our future, our desires are different than others. I refuse to fall into the consumerist trap. Happiness is not something to be bought. What people don't see is that it is no commodity.

Istanbul is a heavily consumerist city. Just like many others. And I imagine Taipei is a great shopping haven too. But here's the catch, there are alternatives for people who are not wealthy. There are cheap alternatives, possibilities which are just as fine as the expensive ones.

If you are not upper middle class, or white collar in Istanbul, if you live below that, you're doomed. Everything is disgustingly expensive. That's the problem. Eating out in a restaurant is considered a luxury. Going to dance class, or piano, or yoga if we have to stretch the examples, every kind of extra-curricular activity is directly addressed to the rich. The public pools are far away in the suburbs and the public transport is a mess. You can spend hours in that ridiculousness, being pushed around by the masses, trying to get from point A to B, via C, D and E. I don't even want to mention the lack of libraries.

Yes, I don't desire many materialistic stuff, vacations I can post on facebook in order to boast off. I don't desire to acquire the latest technological asset, but if I do, I make sure I use it as long as possible. Same thing with furniture. I used to get caught up with all these magazines and advertisements, featuring beautiful objects, but yes, they are nice, but I don't necessarily carry the desire to obtain them. As long as I have sturdy, useful and efficient objects, which are aesthetic looking enough, tools and materials to carry on with my life, that's fine.

The worst thing about the society I live in Istanbul is greed. Unbridled greed. Everyone just wants more and more. And "stuff", eating out, hobbies, a car, vacations can sky rocket to insane prices, and people are STILL willing to go for it, spend their hard earned money on ephemeral stuff. Which don't necessarily feed your soul. I try not to judge, but I'm out of this, I won't fall for this. The consumerist trap is a beautifully packaged deceiver. So many unsatisfied people, stuck in this chaotic city in the buyer's trap. Stuck with all their stuff which prevent them from moving from one place to another.

Everything has become an object and a means of boasting. A concert, a nice meal out, a book, a DVD, going to the film festival, going to the museum. The most mundane activities which one could regularly do in a normal city. Istanbul is far from normal.

Anyways I guess I've rambled enough. I will dwell upon this subject again I guess. I just can't wait to leave this city.

Getting ready for my new life : Decluttering

Stuff. Stuff everywhere.

Books, hundreds of books, many many DVDs. They all look pretty and colorful, and they remind me that I've spent a decent amount of time and money on them.

Then I have knitting supplies, polymer clay, many different types of paint, acrylics, watercolors, markers, color pencils, I have tons of felt, felting needles. Jars of buttons. It's a real crafter's haven.

But then, I have a dirty confession. Although I possess all these cool stuff, I don't get to use them as much. I have a closet full of clothes and at least of quarter of it has been worn only a few times. Same goes with my shoes, my sewing machine, my scuba diving gear, my underwater camera housing, my brooches, stickers, postcards. Don't get me started with all the stationary.

Yes, I love them all, and have a fond heart towards them, but I don't need most of them anymore. And here's the biggest catch, I can't carry it all to Taiwan.

My university years have been very eye opening. Although I never was a consumerist, I got to realize how each and every person gets to gather up so much clutter. People buy stuff, they get all the things they don't need, and I don't blame them because everything is just so well packaged and appealing. But for me, this has to change. I don't want to be part of the system, and getting rid of a lot of stuff is going to help a lot. I feel all these stuff are creating a burden on me, putting a huge weight on my shoulders, gathering dust. Spiritually speaking, I was never greedy, I've never wanted luxurious stuff, and most of my things were very useful. The books I read were enjoyable, I always bought my DVD's from the discount rack, and the stationary is so cheap that I brought them from Taiwan. But I really really don't need all this anymore. Doruk and I decided that we wanted to get to read good books and watch good films, but we don't necessarily have to possess and display them all over the place. And the technology is so much better now, paper books are so ephemeral, keeping them in a digital archive will not only save us more space but it will de-clutter our lives too. I think it's a good exercise, getting rid of many stuff, it cleanses me from any potential greed and I find it very liberating, it makes me help prioritize. It reminds me what's important. And I feel that my activities, friendships, my experiences are far more important than possessions.

So I'm going through my things, one by one, making an inventory of them. I'm going to put a lot of stuff on sale and many others will go for donation. Some have a sentimental value, such as the bags and junk my aunts gave me through the years, but it's just too much.

I had a tiny speck of hesitation, when going through all my stuff, partly due to my parents being keepers and that they really have trouble throwing out or giving away anything. But I went to a friend of mine's thesis defense and the eldest professor who was in her committee told us that he donated a whopping 4000 books to the university's library and went digital when my friend offered to give him a hard copy of her thesis. He asked her to send a PDF.

Times are changing. The way we think about space is changing too. By getting rid of these, I will be saving at least 3 metersquares of wall space. I won't be able to take much with me, and when we start a new life with Doruk in Taipei, space is going to be very valuable. It makes me feel great that we approach space in similar ways and we don't get caught up with the consumerist culture, which is quite prominent here in Istanbul.

They are just stuff after all. And if you want books, DVD's you can always go to the library. If you want to craft, you can always go and buy enough supplies for a given project. My room is quite empty but through the years I notice that I have stashed a lot. Given the fact that most people buy so much more than I do doesn't legitimize it, but now I'm busy fixing it, and it feels great !