Planned Obsolescence.....

Back in the mid-'80s when computers were just beginning to hit the marketplace for all of the masses, a new term or phrase was being resurrected called Planned Obsolescence. The concept actually started back in 1925 when the Phoebus Cartel was founded for the sole purpose of controlling global markets and the fixed longevity of the light bulb.

Okay, now stay with me here. I realize most of you never thought I was this smart, but when I put my head-brain to things, well, who knows what I end up with.

Simply the term planned obsolescence means "making things so they don't last any longer than what you wanted them to last" , ergo; light bulbs that burn out, cars that break down, paint that peels off and of course roads that fall apart.

The other day I was asking myself, "Self, why are the streets and roads full of potholes?" And then it dawned on me. "So, the Road Guys can make a fortune".

Listen, I don't have any problem with entrepreneurship, or making money or owning your own business. I've owned my own business for the last 30 years. But every dollar I have earned I have earned honestly. And, I'm not saying that planned obsolescence is dishonest....I guess I am saying we are fools for allowing it to happen.

I hate nothing more when I am purchasing  expensive items like appliances or computers or even new cars. The first word out of the salespersons mouth after you have agreed to buy it is "Do you want an extended warranty with that?" Hell no, I want it to last until I am ready to buy a new one or pass away typing my blogs.

I guess there is no stopping it now. We buy things and they end up in the trash because they quit working. That's what they were meant to do as far as the manufacturers are concerned.

Some of these thoughts have also been brought to the wonderin' lobe of my head brain partly I think with the passing of a great man, a great father, a great grandfather and a great minister. My father-in-law, Clark Williams, passed away Jan. 1st and he has been on my mind continuously.

As I often wonder about life and what my purpose is supposed to be on this earth, and as I get older, I now wonder about death. Why are we here and why do we have to go.

I guess it's pretty simple. The Great Manufacturer himself created the original Phoebus Cartel back in the beginning of time and it is His "planned obsolescence". He planned for us to be here for a certain amount of time and despite all of the drugs and surgeries, He is calling the shots, not us. He made us to last for whatever length of time that He decided, sometimes it hours or days or years and years but eventually we wear out. And no, you can't get an extended warranty.