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A lesson in quasi-materialism

twinjet

twinjet

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Sep 23, 2008
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#1
Today I parted with my beautiful Schecter Stiletto Custom 6 6-string bass. I'm at a loss because this bass, I slaved over. Many weeks of putting up with dumb tourists. I was an impatient 17 year old.

This was my first run with Schecter. While it likely will be my last, it won't be for lack of appeal. The bass was beautiful, crafted in South Korea. It sounded great. Made lots of money for me. But most of all, it was a joy to play, hence the phrase "pride and joy". Pride, for it was the first bass I ever afforded without help from mom or dad. Joy because it was a joy to play.

I learned something from this today.

We can't let ourselves be chained to our material objects. They are finite. They break, they rot, they burn. I loved the bass, but the bass did not love me. None of mine do. It's like selling a tool - because that's what it is. Why should I be sad? It did it's job and now it will be in service to God at a church out of Homer, AK. Which I think is really great.

Anyway, that's my post for today. Thanks for reading.

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#4
You guys are just being silly.

Maybe you would feel more free if, instead of selling stuff, you donate it instead. Give your basses to a school or a community center. Or sell them and cram the cash into a Salvation Army bucket in a few weeks.

Trading belongings for cash and then feeling refreshed is just selling stuff. No reason to be all preachy about that.
 
#5
Immigrant said:
No reason to be all preachy about that.
Click to expand...

Says the guy whose post was a bit preachy.... even if true. ;)


Yeah, OP, you'll be a lot happier when you realize stuff is just stuff. Things are just things. People and relationships matter.

I would rather have nice pictures to thumb through to remember things than to hoard everything I ever owned because some of it may be "important" to me.
 
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#6
Immigrant said:
You guys are just being silly.
Maybe you would feel more free if, instead of selling stuff, you donate it instead. Give your basses to a school or a community center. Or sell them and cram the cash into a Salvation Army bucket in a few weeks.
Trading belongings for cash and then feeling refreshed is just selling stuff. No reason to be all preachy about that.
Click to expand...

Well I can't speak for the other guys, but I have done both, according to the need or situation. The human tendency is to go all the way to the opposite pole to make a point, and that's just as preachy. :D
Striving for a balance in everything is more reasonable, because extremes go in both directions. ;)
 
#8
Immigrant said:
You guys are just being silly.

Maybe you would feel more free if, instead of selling stuff, you donate it instead. Give your basses to a school or a community center. Or sell them and cram the cash into a Salvation Army bucket in a few weeks.

Trading belongings for cash and then feeling refreshed is just selling stuff. No reason to be all preachy about that.
Click to expand...
two fingers said:
Says the guy whose post was a bit preachy.... even if true. ;)


Yeah, OP, you'll be a lot happier when you realize stuff is just stuff. Things are just things. People and relationships matter.

I would rather have nice pictures to thumb through to remember things than to hoard everything I ever owned because some of it may be "important" to me.
Click to expand...
Perhaps materialism is the wrong word to use. It should be noted I do not value a bass over friendship, relationship or anything like it. I just slap an emotion its way and I'm like bam, attached. And it gets hard, not impossible, to get rid of it.

But as evidenced, I can detach.
 
#9
Tools that get used a lot wear out or need calibration/adjustment/repair from time to time. You can have one and keep it up as required, or you can simply get another one when your current tool begins failing. I've know guys who trade so often you never know that they are going to have when you see them, and I know guys who have had the same bass for 30 or more years. I do a little of both, I buy, sell, and trade MIM J basses a lot, but I've also got a US J Plus I got new in the early 90's and it is never going anywhere until I pass. Not because of some emotional attachment, but because if I could only have one, I know it will get the job done.
I gave up emotional attachment to inanimate objects a long time ago. You wind up with a boatload of junk which may (or may not) contain a few nice pieces. In my house, with few exceptions, if it don't get used it gets gone. If I hear of someone with a serious need, I'll help if I can, but wifey keeps me in the "want one sell one" mode most of the time so cash is usually king.
 
#10
Immigrant said:
Trading belongings for cash and then feeling refreshed is just selling stuff. No reason to be all preachy about that.
Click to expand...
Actually, I feel pretty good when I sell something. It means that I've broken my attachment to it, dealt with the hassle of meeting with someone to make the exchange, and it's found a happy home.
 
#11
Other than Basses, I have trouble letting go of things. I've owned my Camaro for 30+ years, my Blazer and ElCamino for 25 years and my drums for nearly 40 years. I've got more car parts that I've hoarded for decades than I care to think about.
 

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