Yes I posted this on my blog, but I feel it's an important enough thought to share it here as well. I'm tired of it. For years now I kept thinking of the day where I'd get a promotion and I'd make more money and I could buy this big house and all this shit to put into this big house and this nice car to park in the driveway. I'm tired of wanting more, wanting more money, wanting a bigger house, wanting a nicer car, wanting any number of things that simply are not necessary. How the hell can you expect to be happy in life if all you ever do is want. From now on it's like this; I just want to be happy, I just want to survive. I am going to die someday anyway and I can't take anything with me when I do, so why do I need to accumulate all this shit that doesn't really mean anything when you get down to it and think about it. When you have a bunch of stuff, all you do is worry about your stuff, and when you want stuff all you do is worry about how you are going to get it. I don't need anything but my old ass van to drive to work and back, shoes on my feet, clothes on my back and people in my life I care about - and that's it.
I couldn't agree more. I want enough money to not think about where my roof and my food and my clothes are coming from, and then I'll be happy with whatever I have left over. I know Fight Club is teh "cool movie" to draw pseudo-philosophy from, but I do love that line about how your things end up owning you.
This actually made me think about this PA I used to work for when I was over. Guy had grown up in northern New York in a factory town, and was from a working-poor family. But he always used to see one of the factory owners or managers or something driving around town in his really nice car--this guy apparently got a new one every two years or so. And my PA used to tell himself that one day he'd have a car like that. So he joined the Army as a medic, then went to our PA program, got commissioned, and was making pretty good money. When he made captain, he bought himself a high-end Lexus, to the tune of something like $80K. The car was apparently loaded. So he told me this, and I said, "Cool, sir. I bet you love it." And he told me, "Fuck, no. That was the biggest waste of money in my entire life--yeah, heated seats are nice, but I have a ten-minute drive to work. I'm paying out the ass for something I use maybe an hour a day. I would sell it, but no way could I get enough to pay off the loan. So I'm stuck with it, and I feel like an idiot." Because of that story, I don't think I'll ever buy a new car, much less anything classified as luxury.
*bought a new car in January* *just closed the deal on my first house on Friday* *thinks people tend to miss the point of Fight Club* *but is happy for you guys, if you guys are happy*
I guess you hang out with Palahunik, huh? I felt like I was clear that the line was what I liked, in and of itself--not that it was the message of the entire movie. But I'd love to know, what's the point of Fight Club that I'm missing, then?
Hey, don't take it so personally. I didn't mean you specifically. FWIW, the Ed Norton/Brad Pitt character is a self-mutilating sociopath who ended up dead for listening to the voices in his head; he's not a role model. But he tends to get treated as such by people in general because he's a smooth, confident character preaching revolution. I think people focus on the surface of who Tyler is rather than the reality of the situation and the inevitable consequences of his actions. I think the film's more a cautionary tale about listening to people like that, rather than a guide to how to live your life the Tyler Durden way and find happiness. But, hey, art is all things to all people. That's just how I see it.
He didn't end up dead. Anyway, this new outlook on life of mine has nothing to do with Fight Club and everything to do with deciding to pursue happiness rather than material possessions.
*grabs DVD* *fast scans through last chapter* Damnit, I've got my character-is-a-figment-of-other-character's-imagination movies mixed up. Apologies to all. That's great.
man, I hear you. I now have a house and have consolidated my entire toy collection onto one floor. it's absolutely f-ing huge, and you know what? I almost never go onto the third floor with my collection. 20k+ in toys, and I don't do anything with them, they just sit there collecting dust. and yet I still buy more. it's rediculous, but my gf is understanding that there's some kind of "collector" instinct in me, and as long as I keep it moderately under control, it's tolerable.
