GONE

Nothing is ever really gone. Nothing is ever really used up. Do I really need this stuff?

Did you ever throw something "away"? Of course you have. So have I. But where is "away"? If you live near a garbage dump, "away" is not very far at all. You can throw something out so that it is not where you are, but you can never really throw something away. Wherever you throw it, it is someplace, and every place is too close to someone.

The underlying problem is that nothing gets "used up." In reality, “stuff” stops being useful. There is always so much useless stuff left when we decide to dispose of the items we have acquired. Even after we use up the toothpaste, the tube is left. So is the box or can or bag that our food and household items come in. A "used-up" car is just as big as a new car. Some of the car may be recyclable, but there is always too much that is left and cannot be recycled.

I wish there was a place that was "away" so we could get rid of that leftover stuff but there really isn't. All that useless stuff has to go somewhere, and somewhere is getting closer and closer to where I am and where you are.

The underlying problem is that we have defined "need" all too broadly. We seem to "need" so much stuff. How did people live 100 years ago or even 50 years ago when there was so much less stuff? I don't know, and I need more stuff RIGHT NOW! If only we needed less stuff, there would be less useless stuff left over when we were done with the stuff we really need.

Wouldn't it be nice if we left someplace for our descendants to put all the useless stuff that they no longer need?