Deassetisation

I returned from Bangkok without buying a gadget!!! I was very happy with myself that i stayed with the resolution. Before leaving for Bangkok, I had browsed my cupboard to find how many things that i bought on various trips have been unused/partially used. And there were many - a camcorder bought 5 years back used for 10 minutes of video recording, a GPS system bought in Shanghai is unused as it does not support India maps (but i can see Shanghai roads neatly), there are 4 handsets that were bought during various stages of Nokia's evolution lying idle, 3 cameras bought at the time of announcement of every trip to make it memorable used only during that trip etc etc.

To top it, I ensured that we clicked very limited no of photos during the trip as most of the photos have a shelf life of a month - I am a big fan of the "living in the moment" thinking.

Fundamentally, I am moving towards a deassetised lifestyle. I read a tweet a few days back, "Its no more about how many assets you own, its about how smart you are to not own too many of them". And, I completely get it. During the Bangkok trip, I kept thinking, if there was a shop that leased a canon DSLR for a few baths per day, it would meet my need of checking the ability to photograph and also not carrying a camera. Similarly, if I have a choice of renting various cars as the need arises, there wont be a need for me to buy one ( btw i own a car that is 10 years old and i have no immediate plans to change). I am extending this philosophy even for a home, I do not own a flat and have no plans to buy one for a while, there are enough furnished flats available, as your location preferences change, you move to a new house.

If, this thinking develops an appeal for a large section of people, it will make this world a very different place. We wont run after creating assets and in the process will develop a very positive attitude to sharing. This will make the world far more asset efficient and create a democratic availability of services. By no means I support the idea of giving up, what i support is the idea of consume as you require.