There’s a disturbing development on the street. Or maybe it is a regional thing.
A couple of you have been quite distressed, so I feel the need to reassure you. I am here, in the little house, not anywhere else. Believe me, if I get in a car again soon, I’ll yowl about it ahead of time.
So the signs you see on the side of the road at particular retail outlets proclaiming, “We have Diesel,” they are really just taking a further step into merchandising. They don’t actually have me. It’s okay.
But why the move from the simple celebration of my name to a cockeyed claim to have actually purloined me? Is it more appealing? Do they think business will improve because of this odd shift from a word to a phrase? Or is this evidence of a deeper problem? Does it indicate that the dominant human society these days has moved from a practical service/consumer orientation to a kind of slavish consumption/possession?
When did humans in this society go from having enough to wanting more and more?
We have a rule here. If you buy one thing…especially a new thing (as opposed to something gently used by another) you have to get rid of one, preferably, two things in the same category. It doesn’t always work out, but it seems a good intention. That goes for cat toys usually too…though I work to maintain a certain level of need by ravaging particular cat toys, rendering them…well, rending them asunder.
We buy used things when possible. Cat toys are not often in that category, but we go for (a) biodegradable and (b) organic. Used things can be cool. Old furniture, stuff other people don’t want but still care for and want to find someone else who will enjoy it…even older cars. My humans have a thing for older Volvos…though they look forward to buying a used hybrid car someday.
And then there’s a good old boat….
