Connected

Have you checked your drawers lately? I used to have broken pens and dull scissors in mine. But lately I have worthless items of an entire new category – and value – piling up in there: several headsets, splitters, 32MB memory cards, 8mm film, two non-digital cameras, and…let’s see…a clunky portable DVD player. What to do with all that stuff? Toss it?

I used to feel bad about tossing out yet another highlighter gone raspy. But tossing a camera? The good news in my case is that I live in a country where people still know how to fix broken things. There is a whole underground economy of used electronical items that trade hands for moderate prices and help pay the rent for those who fix them.

That’s not the case in the so-called First World. There, products are bought, used, and trashed as soon as a newer model hits the market. And, of course, there always will be a newer model. Now it’s the iPhone, next might be the iFriend, followed by the iFriend Pro. Am I being just a tiny bit cynical? Let’s just face it: There is no way of staying out of the consumerism race. And believe me, I tried.

Years ago, I proudly refused to clutter my existence with an answering machine, and that sure didn’t earn me any brownie points. Then, I said ‘no’ to digital gadgetry. Well, that stance didn’t last long either.

So now I am Ms. iPod (I actually own two), with all the little itsy bitsy ever-notted cables that go along with them. I also own several digital voice recorders, a digital camera, and camcorder – and, of course, with all that an abundance of cables and chargers.

But that’s just for now. I am sure there will be more stuff out on the market soon to satiate my craving to stay connected – plugged into the lives of friends, family, and Oprah, my past, and the pulse of the things to come. Because that’s what it’s all about, isn’t it? Staying connected.