George Carlin on “Stuff”
Ya know, every time I have moved since I left Northern California, I moved into someplace smaller. My current hovel in Connecticut is the smallest place I have lived since college. And I am totally out of place for my stuff.
I had a lot more of it. I had hundreds of CDs, thousands of books, furniture, four cupboards of dishes and pans, a whole garage chock-filled… when I moved from my house in Monterey to a three bedroom apartment in San Diego, most of that couldn’t come with me. The books and dishes and magazines I gave away or threw away. Most of my furniture went into the dumpster. I felt bad for all the things I couldn’t bring.
When I moved from the three bedroom apartment to a one bedroom apartment because my kids had moved away, again, I had to get rid of even more stuff. I gave what I could to my daughter. I still had two cars (in Monterey, I had three…).
When I moved to Connecticut, to an even smaller place (one more bedroom because my son had moved back, but no garage, no storage space, two small closets). I got rid of even more stuff. What an anchor stuff is.
Makes me mad.
If we’d digital books and music back in the 80s, I’d still have all my books with me. They wouldn’t take up any space at all. I’d have all my music, too. My laptop can store movies, TV, books, music, games… when I went back to California to visit, I brought my laptop and a LOT of my stuff came with me.
In twenty years, we’ll have more freedom because we’ll have a lot less stuff. Next time I move, I’ll unpack my clothes, plug in my laptop, and I’ll be *moved*. Freedom is the true gift of the digital age.
Then once you pile up your digital data, you’ll have to move you entire rack of hard drives along too, and pray the moving service guy handles them carefully. Back to square one and not so portable anymore.
Store it on the internet. THAT is close enough to touch — you can already do it. Hell, I do it with this blog.