Self Exploration (day 4) – Tools

I believe in tools. Tools help me perform my commitments.

However, there are many things that money can buy that distracts from my commitments. I don’t like watching television, the thought of paying to go sit in a movie theater makes me feel mundane, new clothes aren’t needed for my soul, I have no need to vacate (vacation) my life. I used to day dream over old muscle cars and save images I downloaded off the internet to 3.5″ floppy discs – one for Mustangs, one for Cameros, one for GTOs. 4-Wheelers, snowmobiles, dirt bikes, mountain bikes..

I find I want to dedicate less and less time to this stuff now, the more I find my peace and my drive. I am on the path of creation, not consumption – though I must admit that these can butt heads often which most definitely cause me to flex my utilitarian muscles.

I define tools as devices that help me do what I need to do. Even then, I enjoy simple tools that I can use for multiple purposes.

Simple. This is what I’m getting towards. Finding simplicity excites me. This contradicts my interior decorating style. I generally find unique things that I bring home to use at a later date: branches, leaves, rocks, boxes…

It is easy to get carried away with tools, letting it turn into consumption. I believe this is where my truth with myself comes in. My father once told me he began his collection of tools by simply buying the tools as they were needed for projects he was doing. Need a jigsaw for cutting out speaker cabinets? Need a hand carving tool for drawing onto wood? Need a wide angle for shooting enormous vistas? Need a tripod for self portraits and lighting?

I always observe (with a hint of judgement) people who buy things because of the pure thrill to buy things, or to just delay doing the actual thing of itself. I am guilty of doing this. I collect things, it’s part and parcel. I recognize there is a very fine line between hacking away at something with the wrong tool, or mastering something with the right tool.

I have spent my adult life slowly distancing myself from unnecessary wants because I feel they each take me further away from the type of simplicity that I seek. However, I believe in good tools.

When I was 16 I sold my candy apple red Epiphone SG electric guitar to my cousin because I opted to take my Marshall guitar amp back across Canada in the van instead. My brother and father and I had been living the year in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia. Upon arriving back in the West, my mission was to acquire a new guitar. When I got my Gibson Les Paul, the immediate quality difference was something I will never forget.