Hacker News Reader

> 1. Things meant to be preserved so future generations can have them, just as you have them now.

I recommend everyone visit an estate sale at least once. You're not going to buy anything, but rather to see all the things someone valued, but that have almost no value to everyone else.

That 90+ piece set of beautiful cutlery in silver? The highest bid will be below its melt value, because that's exactly what they'll do with it.

The well-crafted piece of furniture that was made by an artisan from carefully selected wood? No one is bidding on it at all because it doesn't fit modern aesthetics or considerations.

The carefully curated personal libraries, with no particularly collectible editions or rare books? Being sold for weight.

It really helps put this in perspective as to just exactly what is worth preserving and what isn't. What is important to you, but essentially junk to everyone else.

I use my stuff, carefully, and it lasts.

My childhood toys were often nearly indistinguishable from new, but that’s not because I didn’t spend eons playing with them.

When I outgrew them, they were passed on and enjoyed just as much by the next child.

In my experience, there are two different potential meanings behind the saying “stuff is meant to be used”:

(1) Stuff is meant to be used, so don’t sweat the minor scratches, dings, and wear that comes from using it well.

(2) Stuff is meant to be used, so don’t criticize me for my absolute lack of care when I use things.

I’m very much in camp (1), and I don’t have a lot of respect for camp (2). It’s wantonly wasteful, and prevents passing down and reusing possessions.

I think we're both in camp (1). I'm not arguing for abuse (camp 2), I'm arguing against people who buy things to look at. "But we can't use the good china, it's too good to use" is laughable when you say it like that, but there are a lot of people who think that way about many objects in their lives.

Category 3: Anything that isn't disposable or a tool. Most stuff can be of value to others once you are done using it. I treat all my stuff with care, because some day I might want to sell it, or give it away to someone. Whether it's a book, electronics, kitchenware, or furniture doesn't really matter; The value of the item (in money or in usefulness to the recipient) will always be higher the better condition something is in. You also are less likely to have to buy replacement items if you are careful with them in the first place. I agree in that you shouldn't treat everything like porcelain, but there is definitely value in treating your things with care.

I think you meant for 2, "Things meant to be used up." You use the things in category 1, too.

For me, category one includes all of my books. Category two consists almost entirely of food, cleaning and hygiene products, and most bedding and underwear.

I got most of my books after they had been purchased and probably read, I don't know why I should assume I was the end of the line. [edit: I mean, I have books and things that I know have had multiple owners; I've got books from Bell Labs' library that were lent out a few dozen times and touched by many more hands. Why should I scribble in them and treat them like shit again? Instead of treating them like shit, I'd rather just destroy them in a careful scanning process.]

> Who do you respect more, the mechanic with a toolbox full of pristine tools without a single scratch, or the one with a box full of battered, dinged-up tools?

If by "respect" you mean would rather hire, I'd rather hire the third guy with the well-used, very well-taken care of tools. Why would I hire a slob that isn't maintaining their equipment?

No, I'm not talking about consumables at all. I really am speaking about durable goods!

I am not arguing for treating items "like shit". That's abuse, and while abuse of inanimate objects is hardly a mortal sin, I still don't like it, and I said as much in my original post.

What I am saying is, use your stuff, and don't sweat the normal wear and tear that comes with use. There is absolutely no such thing as a factory pristine set of tools that also gets used regularly. They get scratched and dinged and beaten up, and you can see it. They will also get cleaned and oiled and maintained generally, and you can see that too.

Some of the other replies here talk about treating stuff more gently than it needs, because... well, I don't really know why. This is something I've struggled with too, and as I've gotten older (not to mention worked in product development -- you see some things there!) this has gotten easier for me, and so my life has gotten easier. A few years ago I got a new stove, way too expensive, and way too bright and clean and shiny. Then I put a big ugly scratch right into the front of it, before ever cooking anything on it. My first reaction was horror -- I damaged it -- and then I relaxed: Now I don't have to worry about scratching it anymore, I can just _use_ it without worrying about that. And so I did, and I do! There's real freedom that comes from thinking this way.

By all means, take care of fragile things. But objects have a purpose to serve, best exemplified by tools. If a tool cannot serve its purpose because it's broken or inadequate, you replace it. And if that same tool cannot serve its purpose because you are too gentle and refuse to let it, you have to replace your attitude.

No more "good china"!

This is a message a lot of people would benefit from hearing. I think it’s oversimplified as a binary, but many people should move in that direction.

There is power in treating things as consumable. It’s easy to only think of the cost, but this is very limiting.

I am extremely gentle by nature. In high school, a teacher didn’t believe I’d read a book because it looked so new. The binding was still tight.

This gentleness is not always warranted. What breaks me out of it is thinking in terms of trades. Trading textbooks for an education is a great trade. If it will help you to rip out the pages and put them on your wall, go for it.