life as i see it

Spiritual Sunday

A few related quotes (chosen by Regan, not Rhonda this week...hopefully that's alright with everyone).

“We invest a great deal in the acquisition of stuff. Companies bombard us with slick, relentless propaganda as to why we must have their stuff and judge an individual’s success by their stuff’s sheer quantity and supposed quality. I like stuff. I especially like the word stuff. But consumption never was creativity; it brings few lasting satisfactions and can bring burdensome debts. Stuff beyond our basic needs does not liberate. Consider the overall investment of your time. You have to shop for stuff. You have to clean, maintain and organize stuff. You lose stuff. You look for stuff. You polish stuff. Secure it against theft, trip over it, recharge it, upgrade it, accessorize it, pack it, move it, unpack it, insure it, fix it, and eventually sell, trash or bequeath it. Stuff has no use beyond this life and it takes a lot from us. Very much unlike stuff, knowledge has few such liabilities. Knowledge does not depreciate but grows deeper, stronger and more valuable with each use.”
- Shawn W. Miller, BYU Devotional, August 3, 2010 (punctuation my own)

“Increased goods will not suffice if men display decreased goodness.”
- Neal A. Maxwell, General Conference, Apr 1983

“Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful.”
- William Morris, British craftsman, early socialist, designer and poet, lived in England, 1834-1896 (I don't know if she ever reads this but Jodi Pinsent passed this quote along to Rhonda and I years ago, thanks, I've always appreciated the sentiment it expressed and the Pinsents)