Accumulation of stuff seems to be the new success metric. Here is a story about Diderot that will illustrate the point.
In the 18th century, a French writer, Denis Diderot received a gift: a beautiful scarlet dressing gown. The fabric was gorgeous. The colours were rich. The craftsmanship was spectacular.
Diderot immediately threw his tattered old gown away. He did not need it anymore. His new gown was breathtaking. Of course, he needed to make a few extra purchases to accommodate that gown. In the past, if one of his books was covered with dust, he would simply use his old gown as a rag. But he could not wipe away dust with his
beautiful new gown. He’d need to buy some dust rags.
When there was excess ink on his pen, he used his old gown to wipe it clear. He couldn’t do that with the new gown. He’d need to buy handkerchiefs, or perhaps he’d need better pens. But those are small purchases, right? A small price to pay to maintain such a beautiful gown.
Diderot began to notice that the rest of his home looked shabby in comparison to the gown.
His drapes were threadbare and faded, in contract to the rich colours of the gown. He’d need to replace them...Read More
In the 18th century, a French writer, Denis Diderot received a gift: a beautiful scarlet dressing gown. The fabric was gorgeous. The colours were rich. The craftsmanship was spectacular.
Diderot immediately threw his tattered old gown away. He did not need it anymore. His new gown was breathtaking. Of course, he needed to make a few extra purchases to accommodate that gown. In the past, if one of his books was covered with dust, he would simply use his old gown as a rag. But he could not wipe away dust with his
beautiful new gown. He’d need to buy some dust rags.
When there was excess ink on his pen, he used his old gown to wipe it clear. He couldn’t do that with the new gown. He’d need to buy handkerchiefs, or perhaps he’d need better pens. But those are small purchases, right? A small price to pay to maintain such a beautiful gown.
Diderot began to notice that the rest of his home looked shabby in comparison to the gown.
His drapes were threadbare and faded, in contract to the rich colours of the gown. He’d need to replace them...Read More
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