A Mindset

By Jordan Berkley

The value of timeless or long-lasting items has reached a crossroads. The values and lessons that the depression era generation adopted out of necessity have gone by the wayside as the last 100 years has brought about the biggest economic and technological advances in human history. We tend towards the devaluation of goods more rapidly than that of out grandparents and great-grandparents. As these generations pass, we witness the passing of a practice. In an article from the Star Tribune, Julie Hall, a North Carolina liquidation appraiser, said, "They don’t want grandmother’s carved walnut love seat. They’d rather go to Ikea." I'm not saying that we don't like our Ikea furniture (which I highly doubt will last a lifetime), but there is definitely a shift occurring in our purchase retention as compared to previous generations. Our generation is marketed to differently with the exception of some companies. We want the latest and greatest with all the improvements, or do we? An article from The Economist claims that, "At the same time as the useful life of consumer goods becomes shorter, consumers hanker after goods that endure." The proof is in the pudding, and at this point, our habits are causing some massive environmental destruction.