Stuff

Paul Graham’s essay Stuff argues that Americans accumulate excessive possessions despite having less need for them than previous generations.

The Problem

“Stuff used to be rare and valuable,” but this has fundamentally changed in industrialized societies. We now accumulate possessions that serve no purpose.

Why We Overvalue Possessions

Marketing has conditioned us to treat inexpensive items as bargains, even when useless. The actual value of something isn’t determined by what you paid versus its retail price, but by whether you’ll genuinely use it.

The Hidden Costs

Possessions extract an ongoing mental and emotional toll. “Every thing you own takes energy away from you.” Clutter physically exhausts the mind by forcing constant environmental processing.

Breaking the Cycle

Before purchasing, ask yourself:

• “Is this going to make my life noticeably better?”
• “Will I use this constantly?”

This prevents acquiring items that merely seem like good deals.

The Liberation of Less

Excessive stuff has become a burden rather than a benefit—like earlier food abundance that once was desirable but became harmful.

Reducing possessions is removing invisible weight from daily life.

My Takeaway

Own less. What you own ends up owning you through the mental overhead of managing it.

How have you simplified your possessions? I’d love to hear at persdre@gmail.com.