#257 Using things for a long time

The other day, I stopped by a local cafe.
There was a large long table with ten seats. I decided to write an essay at one of the corner seats.

Everyone sharing the long table had their PCs open. I'm not an expert, but I could tell that at least all of them were newer than the PC I use.
My PC is quite old. I got it from my aunt about 10 years ago, and when I looked it up, I found it was released in 2012.

Today's PCs are thin, stylish, and cool...
Compared to that, my PC is dirty and bulky...

For a moment... just for a fleeting moment,I felt embarrassed.
"What's that? Are they still using such an old PC?"—a voice from someone I didn't know echoed in my head.

I snapped out of it and took a big gulp of my iced coffee.
No, no, I was comparing myself to others again.
People around me aren't as interested in me as I think they are. There's no way they could be.
I pulled myself together and tried to focus on my writing—and as I did, I looked back on the embarrassment I had just felt.

Using old things isn't actually something to be embarrassed about, is it?
Why did I feel embarrassed...?

—I bought a new game.
—The TV in my house is the newest one out there.
—Pretty cool, right?

Suddenly, those words crossed my mind.
When I was in elementary school, a friend who lived nearby used to say things like that.
That friend was wealthy and would get all sorts of new things, like game consoles and toys, and would brag about them to me.

That's right. Back then, my friend also used to say things like this to me.

—Are you still playing that game?
—Are you still using something like that?

That friend was desperate to make themselves look big.
To do that, they didn't mind putting others down.

Perhaps because that friend's words and expressions are deeply etched in my heart,
New things are cool. Old things are uncool.
I think that definition has been imprinted on my heart.

I don't think the former is wrong.
In fact, when you buy something new, you feel like you've leveled up a bit. I can well understand the feeling of wanting to be the first to buy something new.

However, I personally think the latter is wrong.
I think using old things for a long time is actually cool.

Since I started writing on note, I've had many more opportunities to look things up in a dictionary.
I can easily use a dictionary online now, but I suddenly thought I'd like to have a paper dictionary as well.
But it seems I threw away all the dictionaries I used in my student days during a decluttering session. What a waste that was.

When I asked my mother if she had a paper dictionary, she gave me one of hers, saying that her eyesight had gotten worse and she didn't use it much anymore.
That dictionary was very, very old.
It seems it was something my mother, born in the Showa 30s, had been using since she was in elementary school.

The cover is wrinkled, and the pages are quite yellowed and brown.
On top of that, the spine is reinforced with masking tape, so at first glance, it looks tattered.

"It's really well-worn, isn't it?"I muttered, and my mother replied,
"Yes, it's a very good dictionary. It taught me so many words."

Hearing that,I came to think that the wrinkles, the yellowing, and even the masking tape on the dictionary were cool.
Above all,I thought my mother, who continues to use things for a long time, was cool.
It looks like I'll be learning many words from this old dictionary from now on, too.

Having new things is cool.
But having old things and using things for a long time is also cool.
I feel like this set of values will be necessary for living in the coming era.