Memories, Sorting Old Books and Becoming Obsolete

As part of our ongoing efforts to get better organized, I unpacked another packing box that has been sitting at the back of my workspace closet.

This one happened to contain a lot of old books — you know, the actual paper kind — I had saved from another time in my life.

Seeing these books made my mind go into "time traveling mode," as I thought back to a time in my life when one of my favorite things was to sit down and spend a few hours just reading. I read a lot, back in my 20's and 30's.

The thing that's slightly odd to think about is that I actually had time to read. Of course, that was primarily because I didn't have to work as many hours, simply to be able to afford to get by.

Are We REALLY "Better Off?"

Many punters would argue that we are better off than ever, because we have so many luxuries and conveniences we simply couldn't have dreamed of, even 25 years ago.

Be that as it may, I sometimes find myself wondering whether we are really any better off, given that we often have to work that much more in order to have them... thereby putting ourselves in a position where we have less time to enjoy these alleged benefits.

The truth of life is that so many things are ultimately a trade-off situation. To gain one benefit, you give up a different one.

As I looked at my books again, I felt slightly sad that they were slowly becoming obsolete. We have the web, and Kindles... so why lug actual books around — not only are they heavy, but they require us to cut down trees to make paper.

What sort of "virtual worlds" are we going to end up with? Will books become something you only see in museums and old movies?

Which left me thinking that maybe I am becoming obsolete, as someone who prefers a more tangible experience over a virtual one. I suppose it's funny to be saying that, as I sit here, writing a blog post to a virtual community!

Thanks for stopping by, and have a great weekend!

How about YOU? Do you enjoy tangible things? Or are you more comfortable with virtual worlds? Do leave a comment if you feel so inclined — share your experiences — be part of the conversation!

(All text and images by the author, unless otherwise credited. This is ORIGINAL CONTENT, created expressly for this platform — NOT A CROSSPOST!!!)
Created at 2023.03.04 00:19 PST
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