Originally Posted by
bobn
Why is the riding, collecting/Hoarding of bikes and their parts so addictive?
I have a real junker/beater that rides just fine. I want to get rid of it. I think, should I give it away to Good Will etc, or wait! Why not just strip it down and save the parts? Better yet, hold on to it until you find something you like to replace it. Then you can get rid of it or strip it for parts. What to do, what to do?
Why do I scour Craig's list and Ebay just to see what's around. Things I won't buy anyway. Help!
Riding is one thing, collecting and hoarding and shopping (for bargains or special finds, or whatever it is that you don't really need, and may never really use) -- those are another matter.
They are a disease.
They eat into your life and your time (which is all we have, in a way), and attention.
Get some help, or some kind of overriding counterview or insight or approach.
There are probably discussion groups online, perhaps some Yahoo groups, for this kind of addiction. There may be some twelve-step programs available as well (online and also in-person meetings).
Googling "shopping addiction, groups, online," "collecting, bargain hunting," etc. will probably give some leads.
***
I used to have this. Now I do not. Why? One thing that helped was being out of money for a while. It helped me to lose interest in shopping. It helped me to take a break, get some distance from it, and to develop new habits that displaced the old ones.
Another thing that helped was seeing more clearly and fully the futility or meaninglessness of it. It isn't really that great -- either the searching or the shopping, or the getting and possessing. These things are misrepresented (especially in certain cultures) as being better than they really are. A lot of people profit from persuading others to do these things, and to consumeconsumeconsume.
Another thing was appreciating another approach: some people make it a point to have uncluttered lives. They have one very good, versatile bike, and that's enough.
Another thing that helped was getting over the idea that older items (that are (1) hard to find, (2) superior, and/or (3) never to be available again) are not *really* as precious as some mindsets (and sellers) make them out to be.
Another thing was becoming much more wary of (various forms of) sales pitches. People are trying to sell you things left and right. If you get hooked and reeled in, you can spend a lot of your time and life (and many people do) shopping and buying and working and earning and storing and all the rest of it.
Another thing was listening to some very thoughtful people talk about simplicity, and simplifying your life.
Another was doubting and seeing through the claim that these things will really do anything for you, or make you happy in any real way.
Things are misrepresented (or we allow them to be) (--or we buy into the seeing of them) as being worth something, when they are not actually valuable at all. The paradise of the collector is not such a paradise after all.
One can let all these things be stored in stores, warehouses, garages, etc., and buy at the point of need.
Simple, reliable, quality gear is always available. It can be found when you need it; you don't have to stock up.
And one other thing I got over: thinking that it is smart to buy a bargain just because it is a bargain. Not so smart really. One can pay a few dollars more and buy something when and if it is really needed.
It is amazing how little one really needs.
I also started to see *freedom from encumbrances* as a more aesthetic and attractive way to live.