What if you
could reduce an object to the status of being just an object?
Too often,
we think of possessions as more than what they are. How many people are
addicted to their phones or think that they would be helpless without them? The
phone can take on the role of lifeline, connection, informant, or devoted
record keeper. The phone becomes more than just a phone.
When you
pick a mobile phone, there are many hidden options that pop up: What is your
wallpaper going to be? How much time will you spend looking for just the right
photo, and then cropping it? How long will it last as your wallpaper before you
look for another one? On that note, what about the phone itself? How often do
you think about upgrading and switching to another phone? How much would the
new phone cost? How much would the plan be? What accessories would you need to
buy? What will your ringtone be? Where will you buy it from? Will it be what
you want? Will you ever be satisfied?
Taking all
these options into account, I realized that I was spending about as much time
thinking about the maintenance of my phone as actually using it. I also became
aware of the thin line I was walking by constantly handling my smartphone while
driving (such as changing my music preference every 2.5 minutes). It seemed fulfilling
my right to choice was the way I wasted time.
I switched
to a "clam shell" dumb phone a year and a half ago. I appreciate the limited
connection I have with it. I notice that I see it just as a phone now. I picked
one wallpaper, and it has stayed there the whole time. I don't have phone envy.
This phone is just right for me.
I have done
the same with earrings. When I noticed I was becoming a woman on my mission in
Argentina, I got my ears hand-pierced by a woman with an ice block and
specially-pointed first-timer earrings. I thought, "This opens up a whole new world! Now I
can wear all those earrings I've been wanting to wear!" I would always
look at the shiny stuff in stores (and I still do), comparing earrings, buying
many, trying them out, getting rid of them for perceived obsolescence, and trying
to find my favorites. But maybe I created a market for options when I didn't
have to. In Peru, because of a lack of ideal sanitation conditions, my ears
would hurt when I would wear the earrings I brought with me. To eliminate the issue,
I bought gold studs, and I have switched them out only a handful of times since
then. They are an adequate choice to wear every day, and even though I originally
though choice was better, I have since all but eradicated it to give my brain a
rest.
I would like
to extend this limitation of choice to other areas in my life. Take clothing
for example. My clothing choices reflect my concern to be what others want me
to be. I have said various times that if I could wear anything I want, it would
be full floor-length skirts and Victorian tops. But I feel my clothing plays a
role in my relationship with society. It helps me be seen as not an outcast, as
a regular upstanding citizen. I feel like I have to conform, to a certain
extent, to what the general public desires of me in order to be
"successful." And if I don't feel it from society at large (or rather,
from advertising agencies), my clothes-savvy sister will interject with mild
comments that I need to update my wardrobe.
When I was
in Peru, I only had four tops and three bottoms with one dress. I didn't have
to worry about what I was going to wear that day because, one, there weren't
many options, and two, I had already trusted those articles of clothing to make
me look decent.
When I do end
up being critical of how flattering a dress or shirt makes me look, I am almost
always disappointed, and label it a reject item. I know I will soon be at the
stores again, searching for the perfect item, which always seems to elude my
grasp. Recently, however, I have been choosing those decent clothes again, the
clothing that is acceptable, but not radical. The clothing that I don't have to
spend extra time thinking about. Shouldn't the critical thinking only be
confined to the time before making
the purchase? Obviously, there are people who see clothing as an expression of
opinion, almost an art form for creating. I am not one of those people. I would
rather remove the option.
And that's
not such a bad idea. After being in other countries, I am astounded at how much
choice we have here in America. Just go to any regular store (which is usually
a large store), and you'll see an endless assortment of toothpaste options. How
is anyone supposed to make a choice with so many available? Many times, we
don't choose. It becomes too overwhelming. If there happened to be a smaller
number of options, we could spend a proper amount of time researching and comparing
the available products to see which one best suited our needs, but that's nearly
impossible now. An abundance of choice sometimes makes things harder than they
have to be.
And so here
is the goal I have set for myself: when I can see a phone as just a means of
communication, earrings as just a small embellishment, or clothing just as a
means to cover the body from the elements, things become a whole lot simple and
clearer. Options just for options sake are not helpful or beneficial. When I reduce
something to its basic function, I can see it for what it really is: a tool.
