The Obsession with New
By Daniel Miessler on February 28th, 2009: Tagged as Personal | Psychology
I’m moving to a new apartment soon–one that’s never been lived in before. And in April my division at work is moving to a brand-new IT building built out in a developing office park. It was designed by a famous, high-end architect and makes you feel proud knowing you work in the place.
Between the two changes I’ll be getting new carpet, new IP phones, new Herman Miller chairs, and countless other things that haven’t been defiled by others. This makes me happy.
Too happy.
I’ve come to believe that people who are unhappy with themselves are those most drawn to “new”. New things symbolize better versions of ourselves. We subconsciously hope that when we leave the old behind and embrace the new, we’ll also be leaving behind the parts of ourselves that we dislike–like a snake discarding an old skin.
That’s why truly happy people don’t need “new.” One’s enthusiasm for new things is directly proportional to his internal desire to shed themselves, and if you have nothing to shed you have little passion for them. That’s one metric for inner harmony.
Anyway, I can’t wait to move. I’m really looking forward to the new stuff. ::