 Last weekend I was torn between throwing out a pair of running socks because my big toe had forced a hole in the sock or mending the sock. I felt tremendous guilt as I walked to the garbage can to throw away these socks not because of any emotional attachment, I am not that kinky, but because of the guilt of remembering my childhood when things liked this happened, my mother would repair the damage and not run off to the store to buy a new replacement. She showed me how to sew buttons, mend socks and repair hems on pants. It was out of necessity that we kept things longer and repaired them, or at least attempted to repair them before tossing them into the dumpster. Being the second son, I was often the "beneficiary" of hand-me-down items that had seen the handiwork of my mother. But the economist in me forced the question, of whether repairing these socks were a good use of my "precious" time. After all, while not wealthy, I could afford a new pair of athletic socks. And in the past, I had no sock separation crisis when a hole appeared; they were just tossed. But there was something that came over me to take the time, find the needle and thread and fix at least that pair of socks, and I am glad I did. My daughter looked at me with amazement that I knew what I was doing, and that I was doing it. She like me had become part of the disposal society. When things don't work our first reaction is to replace the offending item with the latest version, whether it be socks or software. Perhaps it is progress to throw things away that are easily replaced, but there is a certain nostalgic charm to repairing what can be salvaged and made useful again. In your service, Dr. Fred |
