Not Buying Anything – Part 1
November 2, 2011 at 7:50 PM | Posted in Music, The Way We Live Now | Leave a commentTags: Anthony Maillie, Sviatoslov Richter
I was often struck that my Uncle Anthony, at some point, stopped buying records. As I hopped from one mountaintop of acquiring to another, he would admire my new records but not say that he was going to run out and do the same. This from a man who, in those days, had shelves groaning with, perhaps, two thousand records. I thought that would never happen to me as I was too voracious – until it did.
For me, as came over my Uncle as well I think, I have a desire to stop buying everything. Just as when you are disgusted with yourself for over-eating and issue orders to yourself to call a halt, I was hot off a CD buying spree – 6 from the years before the great pianist Sviatoslov Richter came to the West from the Soviet Union in 1960.
So, four weeks ago or so, I pledged to not buy anything other than necessities till Christmas, a period of three months. I’ve remain disciplined and haven’t had to resort to having my comrades tie me to the mast as Ulysses required in the face of the perfumed Sirens. I cannot think of one thing that I want – really, not one.
But in Germany on my recent trip I spent an inordinate amount of time pondering posters and post cards. ‘I have so many … but I don’t have this one … but what of my pledge …
but it’s only a Euro … only?’
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