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Sunday, October 05, 2008
2nd Hand
Goodwill is the place I go when I need "new" clothes. There is a new one in Denver that has such great clothes that even I, a woman who must have slept during the distribution of shopping genes, have fun there.Clothes should have many lives. Why waste the resources it takes to make new ones when there are so many "gently worn" (or maybe wildly worn with abandon), perfectly good pieces of clothing needing a home?
I've also bought a few second-hand cars. In the 1970's, I bought two different yellow VW bugs (I had to buy the second one to replace the first that got totalled when I was rear-ended - Ouch!). The second one had a sun-roof, so it was especially cool. Until the first rain. The day following the rainstorm, I drove down the street under a clear sky, and when I stopped at the first stop sign, a rain storm magically appeared - but only inside my car and only on my head. That was fun...Besides cars with no seal around their sunroofs, there are a few other things that should never be obtained second hand - and I'm not talking about underwear or food here, even though I don't think I will see the day that I buy those used.
I'm talking about spirituality.
A local liberal church is doing a two-month gig of educational lectures about the different mystic paths. Following one mystical path myself, I thought it would be interesting to go and hear what was said. It just so happened that the talk this first week was about the very path that I follow.
I got a lot out of the evening. Not what I thought I'd get, but, hey, that's the way my whole life seems to be going. Life presents what it presents, not MY idea of what should be.
One of the ministers of the church gave the talk on this spiritual path that she knew nothing about until she read some information on it in preparation for her talk. Basically, we got the CliffsNotes on a path that has existed for centuries and, over that time, has woven itself into different lineages and practices.
I study in one of the lineages of the spiritual path which this woman described and I came away feeling like she had hammered many dents in the wall, even dinging the nail once in awhile, but by the end of the evening, the nail was no further into the wall than when we began.
We got second-hand teaching. A view of a view of a view.
In this case, I think it was no more dangerous than a surprise shower inside a car on a sunny day. But with some cases, like in the second-hand view most Americans have of Islam, misleading information can sometimes be as dangerous as a used car seller "forgetting" to tell the potential buyer about the bad brakes.
Morals to the story (for me, anyway): Don't believe most things you hear. AND buy used clothes, not used beliefs.
Eskimo: "If I did not know about God and sin, would I go to hell?" Priest: "No, not if you did not know." Eskimo: "Then why did you tell me?" - Annie Dillard
Labels: spirituality
posted by Carol at 1:59 PM
12 Comments:
Re. used clothing: I watched The Story of Stuff this afternoon. "Must see" for Goodwill motivation and anti-consumption of all kinds.
You make a good point: be skeptical of second hand "experts." Spirituality is one arena. And every arena has these so-called "experts."
Hey Border Explorer,
I was just visiting you as you were visiting me. Nice to run into you!
You are right that second-hand experts work in many areas. I am learning (again and again) to take everything I read and hear with a grain of salt.
Excellent post, Carol! I love the way you wove the threads of used clothes, used VW, and second (or third) hand spirituality into such a neat mosaic!
The Eskimo asks an exceptionally valid question.
Thanks Nick!
Regarding the Eskimo's question: Yeah, I'd like to hear a good answer to that.
You have made me laugh Carol, my dads favourite saying is, "Believe none of what you hear and only half of what you see." It makes me smile when he says it (often).
There is something about shopping in second hand stores that far out-weighs the experience of shopping in the high street shops. You can only have a good old rummage in a second hand shop! (occasionally, you can in TKMAXX!) I love a bargain and I love second hand books. (Even if I buy from Amazon I go for the second hand ones.) Good read Carol, good entry. :o)
(I still love my new wheels with the steering wheel on the wrong side!)
xx
Indigo Incarnates
Well... I am very happy to NOT be following old, used beliefs (Wicca is as fresh as it gets).
I don't go for used clothes. But, thanks to the miracle of ebay, I've owned several perfectly suitable secondhand cell phones and laptops.
Daffy,
So, you're going to leave the steering wheel on the wrong side, are you?
Your dad is a wise man. It's hard to discount all that we hear! It means having to think too much!
;-)
Indigo,
Ebay and Craig's list are fun!
Oh, gosh! What a lovely blog! I found you through Thomas. I'll definitely be back.
It's been years since I've bought anything retail. I can't claim a totally noble reason because at the root of it all, I'm just cheap. Still... it's only made sense.
One time I furnished an entire apartment from yard sales.
~*
Welcome, Thailandchani!
Cheap makes sense to me!
I bet your apartment was a nice eclectic array of interesting things. As much as I like used clothes and furniture, for some reason, I don't like to go to garage sales - I think it's because I don't like people looking at me while I'm deciding whether or not I like something. And I really don't like having to walk away with nothing while they are watching me. I never realized that before. It sounds like something worth getting over.
Now I'm off to your place.
love the eskimo line at the bottom! :-)
You know i love thrifting. :-) I truly believe you can find everything you need thrifting. Everything eventually shows up at a thrift store.
Wayfarer,
Thanks for bringing me back to this post. That IS a great quote, isn't it?
You are the THRIFT MASTER! You should teach classes! We would all do well to learn from you.
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