Which car, fountain pen, watch, speakers, camera, computer or guitar do you use? 

Why do we care more for these, even though we know that it’s where you go, what you do with your time, what you write, listen to or create that really matters? 

The first may be the joy of gear exploration and the new capabilities that its acquisition brings. User tests, comparisons and reviews, done well, are thoroughly enjoyable. And once you acquire your new toy, you’ve theoretically broadened your capabilities.

The second may be the pursuit of collecting in order to relive bygone times or to ease the insecurity about losing a part of oneself. The collection serves as a place of safety or refuge. Some also collect for the thrill of the hunt, making it a lifelong quest, never to be completed.

The third may be the most intense – signalling. Evolution heavily favors those that signal their health and status, and hence we’re hardwired to do so, but it permeates beyond. A manicured garden is status-signalling that the owner doesn’t need that piece of land to grow food. So is the SUV that never left the city, the fountain pens which never wrote anything beautiful, and so on. 

Even though this signalling is technically useless for most of us, it guides a lot of how we choose to spend our energy. Take that SUV off roading. Use your gadgets to create something soulful. You’re likely to find that it will be more fulfilling than any of the above.

Photo by Ryan Stone on Unsplash