Have you seen the advert? The leg pillow. How on earth are you surviving without one? Do you still remember those cave men pictures showing them sleeping with a boulder between their legs?
And don’t forget the eggsitter cushion, or the walkmaxx shoes. Amazing how the human race has survived with ordinary chairs and plain old vibram soles in their walking boots.
It is interesting how many attempts I see to make me understand that I am missing something that has never existed before.
It would be easy to point the finger at the advertisers. But I got to thinking about why they try these techniques. What is it about us as a species that makes us want to collect more? Why do people hoard? And yet we often realise that living a simple life can make us happier.
There are a few self help de-cluttering books, you know – the books that tell you to put all your clothes on the bed (or are the books just more clutter we want to get).
I wondered if it is best treated as an addiction, something that could be addressed by a 12 step programme. And then I spotted it – clutterers anonymous. Yes – somebody has recognised that this might be a trait best dealt with in the same way as you would deal with alcoholism. Interesting concept. What would happen if, when we shared our new purchases with each other, instead of positive reinforcement of buying we got support with that addiction?