I think one of the topics which has proved to be the most questionable in my mind through the process of understanding a different culture is the American attitude towards disposability.
Like many other subjects, I never gave it much thought until the day my clothes dryer broke.
Being raised in a world of convenience, this was borderline 'tragic' to me. How will I possibly continue my never ending task of washing and drying clothes??? (Before you judge too harsh- keep in mind our climate) I quickly called the repair man who promptly pronounced my dryer DOA. He explained to my husband and I that the heating element was broken and it was cheaper to get a new one than to replace the heating element. As the repair man removed the various parts, my husband winked at me and whispered that he would take care of it. Within 10 minutes of the repair man leaving, Roy had the dryer repaired. How? you may be wondering, he said it had something to do with a stove he had as a kid that had a similar heating element he had seen his Dad repair countless times.
The ease at which he repaired this expensive item and the volume of money we saved through him knowing how to do this (without training or seemingly any knowledge on the inner workings of clothing dryers) made me start to wonder why I was so quick to throw this thing on the curb after it quit working as designed.
The easy answer to this question is the obvious- here in the US labor is expensive and generally specialized in nature. Meaning there is no 'handy man' of sorts who knows how to do all the various things in your house that require regular repair or maintenance. If you are lucky enough to have a husband/brother/uncle/cousin, etc. who knows how to do various things, then you are truly lucky.
The second part of the easy answer is- most people have excess money OR are willing and able to go into debt for the things they 'need'. This essentially cancels out the need for part 1. I have the means of obtaining something new, so why would I mess with something old and broken??
The last part of the easy answer is- time. We all know Americans are always in a hurry. We rush around all day, multitask constantly, and keep trying to find new ways to save time in order to fit even more work/fun/tasks into a day. So, we have invented countless disposable items which make our work easier:
-Frozen dinners
-Razors
-Cheap shoes
-Sandwich bags
-Coffee filters
-Cups/silverware/plates
-Nail Files
-Diapers
I could go on, but won't. The point is that I think we have gotten to the point where we are desensitized by throwing things away. I know I have thrown out plenty of electronics, small appliances, household items that I no longer need or are damaged somehow and I am unable or unwilling to repair.
When it comes to what I have observed in India, I always talk about what I refer to as 'Indian ingenuity' which is basically the inborn ability to reuse, re-purpose, and repair almost anything for any reason. Long before it cool and there were HGTV shows about it, Indian people were remaking almost anything into something else. It is truly amazing. Maybe it reverts back to the mother of all invention- necessity. Or more than likely, scarcity in most cases. And don't forget the well known trait of many Indian people- conservation.
I truly admire this ability and have seen it in practice countless times. I begin to realize how wasteful we are here and how this cultural evolution of waste and disposability has bled into other aspects of our life. Relationships, family members, pets, marriage, even kids. In varying degrees, we treat these items like cast offs much like the original fate of my non working old dryer, put to the curb in replacement for a new working model.
I read a quote the other day from a couple who had been married for 65 years, when asked how they succeeded they said: 'We're from a generation that fixed things that were broken, we didn't throw them away.' This spoke to me on so many different levels from my early beginning, past, present, and future. To me it wasn't just a comment about marriage, but how you approach work, parenting, friendships, major purchases and just life in general.
The thing I like most about that quote is they said 'we', not I. It isn't the responsibility of one person to keep the other happy or compromise for sake of the relationship. It is the duty and obligation of both parties to bend and flex and adapt to get through anything life throws at you.
I can't sit here and say this is a strength of mine or proclaim this is the best advise ever because I have not yet succeeded. As with everything, life is a process. Not one specific destination, but a journey through blue skies and turbulent waters. Do I sink or do I swim? And more importantly, how do I learn from mistakes and apply them to the now and the future.
The lesson here people is simple- appreciate everything you have and make do whenever possible.
Like many other subjects, I never gave it much thought until the day my clothes dryer broke.
Being raised in a world of convenience, this was borderline 'tragic' to me. How will I possibly continue my never ending task of washing and drying clothes??? (Before you judge too harsh- keep in mind our climate) I quickly called the repair man who promptly pronounced my dryer DOA. He explained to my husband and I that the heating element was broken and it was cheaper to get a new one than to replace the heating element. As the repair man removed the various parts, my husband winked at me and whispered that he would take care of it. Within 10 minutes of the repair man leaving, Roy had the dryer repaired. How? you may be wondering, he said it had something to do with a stove he had as a kid that had a similar heating element he had seen his Dad repair countless times.
The ease at which he repaired this expensive item and the volume of money we saved through him knowing how to do this (without training or seemingly any knowledge on the inner workings of clothing dryers) made me start to wonder why I was so quick to throw this thing on the curb after it quit working as designed.
The easy answer to this question is the obvious- here in the US labor is expensive and generally specialized in nature. Meaning there is no 'handy man' of sorts who knows how to do all the various things in your house that require regular repair or maintenance. If you are lucky enough to have a husband/brother/uncle/cousin, etc. who knows how to do various things, then you are truly lucky.
The second part of the easy answer is- most people have excess money OR are willing and able to go into debt for the things they 'need'. This essentially cancels out the need for part 1. I have the means of obtaining something new, so why would I mess with something old and broken??
The last part of the easy answer is- time. We all know Americans are always in a hurry. We rush around all day, multitask constantly, and keep trying to find new ways to save time in order to fit even more work/fun/tasks into a day. So, we have invented countless disposable items which make our work easier:
-Frozen dinners
-Razors
-Cheap shoes
-Sandwich bags
-Coffee filters
-Cups/silverware/plates
-Nail Files
-Diapers
I could go on, but won't. The point is that I think we have gotten to the point where we are desensitized by throwing things away. I know I have thrown out plenty of electronics, small appliances, household items that I no longer need or are damaged somehow and I am unable or unwilling to repair.
When it comes to what I have observed in India, I always talk about what I refer to as 'Indian ingenuity' which is basically the inborn ability to reuse, re-purpose, and repair almost anything for any reason. Long before it cool and there were HGTV shows about it, Indian people were remaking almost anything into something else. It is truly amazing. Maybe it reverts back to the mother of all invention- necessity. Or more than likely, scarcity in most cases. And don't forget the well known trait of many Indian people- conservation.
I truly admire this ability and have seen it in practice countless times. I begin to realize how wasteful we are here and how this cultural evolution of waste and disposability has bled into other aspects of our life. Relationships, family members, pets, marriage, even kids. In varying degrees, we treat these items like cast offs much like the original fate of my non working old dryer, put to the curb in replacement for a new working model.
I read a quote the other day from a couple who had been married for 65 years, when asked how they succeeded they said: 'We're from a generation that fixed things that were broken, we didn't throw them away.' This spoke to me on so many different levels from my early beginning, past, present, and future. To me it wasn't just a comment about marriage, but how you approach work, parenting, friendships, major purchases and just life in general.
The thing I like most about that quote is they said 'we', not I. It isn't the responsibility of one person to keep the other happy or compromise for sake of the relationship. It is the duty and obligation of both parties to bend and flex and adapt to get through anything life throws at you.
I can't sit here and say this is a strength of mine or proclaim this is the best advise ever because I have not yet succeeded. As with everything, life is a process. Not one specific destination, but a journey through blue skies and turbulent waters. Do I sink or do I swim? And more importantly, how do I learn from mistakes and apply them to the now and the future.
The lesson here people is simple- appreciate everything you have and make do whenever possible.
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