Library work leads to learning strange things. I dove down the rabbit hole of porcelain and pottery while exploring possible craft kit ideas.
I did not find craft kit ideas.
What I did find was a lot of questions to ask and subjects to ponder. And I thought I would open things up to deeper discussion.
I read an article a while back about the lack of heirlooms being created by Gen X and Millennials. Our consumerist culture and the reality of technological obsolescence mean we have fewer durable goods to pass down to future generations. In addition, the consequences of the past century of economic policies has devastated our ability to save and invest the way our ancestors could.
So, consider the bone china teacup: a durable, beautiful, useful object that can be enjoyed for generations.
Unless someone drops it, that is.
In contrast, look at the glass, paper, and plastic used commonly today. Paper is biodegradable and renewable, but still wasteful. Plastic is sometimes recycled, and much more durable in the context of rough handling. Glass is cheap and reasonably durable, plus incredibly recyclable. Bone china thus loses some appeal to people who live more active lives, have children, move frequently, or simply value attributes other than the traditional aesthetics of teacups.
Another topic I had never considered was halal, kosher, and vegan concerns. Bone ash comes from animal bones. Some animals are considered "unclean" by various religions. Vegetarians and vegans want to avoid animal products as much as possible. What is the source of the bones, and is it a byproduct of the meat industry, or even a primary cause of animal slaughter? That can be a problem for some people.
Then again, it could be considered use of waste material.
But then again, again, it takes a lot of energy to make bone ash.
And come to think of it, the minerals used in china must be mined somewhere, too. Is there a significant ecological cost to china production from mining and energy?
Good analysis of any topic requires consideration of innumerable factors. It's easy to say people have misplaced priorities. It's much harder to understand priorities, economic costs, opportunity costs, and other factors that all contribute to the choices people make. Maybe some things should be more disposable. Maybe we should consider spending more on goods that potentially last longer or even just give aesthetic pleasure. And maybe those value scales change from person to person and time to time.
In a world where headlines and soundbites demand our attention, take some time to look beyond the superficial and dig deeper into issues. Consider new perspectives. Maybe there are absolutes, or maybe there are gray areas. Ease up on the pompous pronouncements and condescension, though.
The thought about the new generations not creating anything heirloom worthy had never crossed my mind before. However, it may come to that point again as we continue to question our disposable culture. There are so many aspects to look at. Recyclability, biodegradability, durability and reusability (not entirely sure they are actually all words, but maybe they should be 😉). All have their places.
We are getting sick of things that don't last; maybe not on the technology side, but certainly on the functional side.
It's easy to decry the declining quality of many goods on the market. It's a lot harder to examine the causes of shrinking quantity and quality in nearly everything, though. The popular answer is usually capitalism and corporate greed, but there are serious underlying factors including the perpetual devaluation of the dollar versus the desire to maintain an apparent price stability, the buying power of consumers versus cost of production, and who knows what else.
ENGAGEtokens.We like to have a single, simple cause to blame. Maybe because it makes for an easier solution. Causes are rarely that simple, though.
!ENGAGE 15
Sounds like you found out some cool things even if you didn’t find any kit craft ideas 😆
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