Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1999/01/26
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Walter S Delesandri writes: > Well, David, it's simple....I'll say it slowly....in our culture, > (and in my family's opinion, when I was growing up...) there were > things that were "necessary" and things that were "extravagances"... > Cars, houses, furniture, lawn equipment (beyond the basic $125 > lawnmower) were "essentials".....cameras and audio and watches > etc. weren't!!! > It was "OK" to have a $1000 lawnmower, a $15000+ car, and "new" > furniture (when the old was FINE - and comfortable)....AND a > $29 camera, just to take care of the "necessary" pictures (kids). > > To have a $1000 car, $100 lawnmower, old (SOLID) furniture with > scratches, etc. AND $10,000 worth of camera and audio equipment > is consider "frivolous" or "irresponsible"....even though the > above mentioned stuff meets my needs exactly!! > > I didn't say that I commented on my neighbor's purchases -- IT"S > THE OTHER WAY AROUND!!! If you make snide comments about my > Leica or my old car, then I'm gonna go after your bass boat.... [snip] But why do you care? I'm reminded of the quotation from Epictetus: "Whatever principles you put before you, hold fast to them as impious to transgress. Worry not what others think about you for that is beyond your control." Look at it another way: I'm a SYSOP on a Compuserve forum (FLEET, the UK journalists' forum). One of the other SYSOPs is a columnist on The Times. In Saturday's column he revealed that his cancer (which we all thought was responding well to treatment) has returned, and is inoperable. They've told him he has 6 months without chemotherapy, and 12-18 with. He has two children under 10. Ponder that for even a brief moment, and it puts all the stuff about 'Leica stigma', who designs and makes which lenses, and how many aspheric elements are in what lens into perspective. This isn't intended as a put-down to you or anyone else here, but for me it was a wake-up call about what's really important. David Morton | "Times are bad. Children no dmorton@journalist.co.uk | longer obey their parents and David.Morton@openconsulting.co.uk | everyone is writing a book." (+44) 171 917 6272 | Marcus Tullius Cicero (106-43 BC)