New or Old Better?

[BigApplePi]

It is quite common to be doing something which may not be the very best, but which gives you satisfaction. Do you -indulge- have such the thing? Would you change it or leave it the same? What would be the conditions for change? Leaving it the same?

I put this under psychology because it looks at human nature. It could have been under philosophy as it examines values.

Examples:
Your school major
Your girl/boy friend
Your spouse
Your habits
Your hobbies
The place where you live
Your job

 

[RaBind]

You'd think that there's something better and most likely there is. Sometimes new things are awesome but the energy required to try out new things doesn't come form nothing. It requires time and effort to try out new things and when your stuck in your normal life's routine its hard to come out of the cage. Plus new things are not guaranteed to be better or even good.

 

[GodOfOrder]

In the case of schooling, while the sew school may indeed be innovative, and possibly offer genuinely better education, it will lack the prestige of the old school. Thus nobody will respect the institution that you came from, which means for your sake the old school would have been better.

In the case of a significant other, as long as he/she is approximately your age, whether old or young, it seems about right.

In the case of my personal hobbies and sense of style, old is much better. I love the clothing styles of the turn of the century. I love old old music, the baroque tends to suit me best, both for playing and listening.

Architecture is a matter all of its own. I would either want an ultra modern utilitarian organic home, like those built by Frank Lloyd Wright, but never a "new modern" home, or I would like a historic victorian town home. I suppose either way I want something technically old, but I suppose you could consider my brand of modern architecture as "new"

 

[Vrecknidj]

It is quite common to be doing something which may not be the very best, but which gives you satisfaction.

There are also many things which are done which are neither "not the very best" nor even satisfying, but are done for other reasons. I work, for instance, to pay my mortgage, feed my family, keep heat in the winter, etc. Some of the work I do is satisfactory, some of it is pleasant, and sometimes (rarely) is also enjoyable. However, given my other desires (to live in a house, to eat high quality food, to have Internet access at my leisure, etc.), I find work necessary if not satisfactory.

 

[scorpiomover]

My Ne visualises so many possibilities with a new thing, that it tends to screw up. So if I find something that works for me without major problems, I stick to that. until I can get no more out of it. In the meantime, I explore new possibilities constantly.

 

[redbaron]

Lady friend - wouldn't change at all

Habits - maybe bite my nails less? I can't say really, I experience mania from time to time, but I find it quite productive a lot of the time. It's often useful for channelling towards creative or work-orientated pursuits, though sometimes frustrating when it happens when I'd like to actually wind down.

Hobbies - can't say I'd change anything...my hobbies include doing the things I like doing, isn't that what a hobby is?

The place where you live - I like it, Melbourne is a great city. I would like to live closer/further from certain people, though that's less to do with the actual place I live in than anything. If anything I'd like to live somewhere where it's more rainy/stormy, and I'd like to live in the snow.

Job - I like it well enough. It's quite challenging in a variety of ways and pays quite well. I mean, I'd love to be paid to just sit around and think about stuff (actually, that's about half of what I'm paid for).

 

[Solitaire U.]

Materially speaking, everything new.

New is the latest, most advanced, most efficient.

New will last a long time. New is reliable. New requires less maintenance. New can be trusted to function. Should something unforeseen happen to New, it can be easily remedied since all the constituent parts of New are readily available.

New doesn't leak.

New is shiny. New is fresh. New smells, tastes and looks...new. New is exciting and mysterious.

New is good.

I wish I were New.

 

[Double_V]

It is quite common to be doing something which may not be the very best, but which gives you satisfaction. Do you -indulge- have such the thing? Would you change it or leave it the same? What would be the conditions for change? Leaving it the same? ...

... Examples:
Your school major
Your girl/boy friend
Your spouse
Your habits
Your hobbies
The place where you live
Your job

Old, I guess. I buy a brand new car and I drive it until it's used up. I wasn't interested in my college education back then, turns out I use it all the time. My house is 130 years old. Most of my furniture are antiques. I've been married for 28 years. Any hobby I had is either something I do now, only better, or is in the vein of something I intend to get back to doing.

On the marriage thing, sometimes I see others who have been married/divorced or do serial relationships. I don't have the desire to deal with all that - it looks like too work/fuss/drama for me.

I never commit to 'buying' unless I really love it.

I'd rather aquire a quality piece that is going to last. Alot of 'new' things are poorly made/made for a short lifespan. Example: A Viking stove is generally a pos while a Chambers or O'keefe is an incredible piece of energy efficient equipment...used Felco shears will beat Walmart specials any day of the week and still be excellent 20 years later if it has even moderate care.

 

[Brontosaurie]

Materially speaking, everything new.

New is the latest, most advanced, most efficient.

New will last a long time. New is reliable. New requires less maintenance. New can be trusted to function. Should something unforeseen happen to New, it can be easily remedied since all the constituent parts of New are readily available.

New doesn't leak.

New is shiny. New is fresh. New smells, tastes and looks...new. New is exciting and mysterious.

New is good.

I wish I were New.

nicew

 

[Architect]

I find the New to be generally and consistently better. I spent the weekend at a 100 yr old vacation house. It was cold (zero insulation), smells musty and is missing little things like clothing washers. But it has "charm", I guess.

Then I came back to my four year old house which was still warm from the previous day sunlight, is laid out better, comfortable and won't fall on me in an earthquake.

Why saddle yourself with old ideas, things and designs? They rarely are better than later refinements. Note that earlier can be better (more durable) in the manufacturing decisions, for example clothing. If you haven't noticed clothing manufacturers have been engineering them to be thinner and less sturdy. No longer can you wear a shirt for 10 years, but then maybe you never wanted to anyhow.

In the other direction I used to own an old house that had early 20th century lighting fixtures. These things were poor stamped plated tin. I replaced many of them (broken ones) with new ones from Rejuvenation Hardware which are extraordinarily high quality hand cast units. Likewise if you've ever shopped antique furniture you know that most old furniture isn't made as well as modern.

For personal relationships that is sometimes true. I'm not close with my high school friends anymore which is a good thing for various reasons. With marriages I think people should do their best to keep it together however.

 

[pjoa09]

Solitaire U.

Materially speaking, everything new.

New is the latest, most advanced, most efficient.

New will last a long time. New is reliable. New requires less maintenance. New can be trusted to function. Should something unforeseen happen to New, it can be easily remedied since all the constituent parts of New are readily available.

New doesn't leak.

New is shiny. New is fresh. New smells, tastes and looks...new. New is exciting and mysterious.

New is good.

I wish I were New.

Old is before everyone engaged in cold-hearted profit and loss. Old is before companies tried to engage in price cuts. Old is before the recession, old is when companies were trying to build a name with quality.

Old is trusted and understood technology. Old has been troubleshooted time after time for ages.

Old does leak, but you just replace the seals.

Old that lasts long enough to be old always has parts.

Old wears its age honestly. Old is rather smelly. Old is mysterious and exciting, never know what the last owner was up to. You get free stuff. I found a knife in the trunk.

 

[Absurdity]

New things, old ideas.

In the words of Tolkien:

All that is gold does not glitter,
Not all those who wander are lost;
The old that is strong does not wither,
Deep roots are not reached by the frost.

 

[Double_V]

I chose old, particularly in real estate because often the features or quality of the materials used were superior but even moreso because the you can get more square footage for the price compared to new construction.

The bad thing about old homes (having owned quite a few well known & interesting houses) is they have their own past life(s). ALOT of people come back to visit them, without calling first or sometimes even telling anyone they are there. One house I found someone in my livingroom looking for someone who had been dead for 10 years, and even when told them that they didn't seem to get they were intruding. The house I live in now is 130 years old and at least four families have showed up unannounced. One of them has done it more than 8 times. I thought I was making it ovious I was uncomfortable, finally I outright had to tell them they didn't own it anymore and not to come back. Strange.

And not all the people who come back to visit their old house are people you'd care to talk to, and some bring stories of what happened in your house that aren't very happy ones, and you'd be happier not knowing them. Especially since you didn't ask for them in the first place.

So lately I want to build new so everthing about it is mine.