Appreciation of what we have is necessary
Co-news Editor Jessica Sanders is a senior news-editorial journalism major from San Antonio.

For 15 years, my father owned a sky-blue ’79 Pontiac. My brothers and I called it the Titanic, but Dad loved his car. He referred to it as a luxury car and drove it with pride long after the hood began to rust. Despite his careful maintenance, it finally had to be towed off to the junkyard. But to this day, when he sees a Bonneville, my father looks at it wistfully and insists that his old boat could still be around, if only he hadn’t given up on it. That’s some kind of loyalty.

People like my dad seem to be few and far between in a society where most people run to the dealership at the first sign of trouble with their aging automobiles.

We would like to think our cars are wearing out and our cell phones are unusable without Internet access. But this isn’t necessarily true. There is no need to spend $100 on a new phone when you can still make and receive calls on the old one. Most DVD special features aren’t worth the extra price, so save a few bucks and buy a VHS tape. A car that runs is still useful, even after the new-car smell wears off.

In our race to have the next great toy, our society has become a creator of junk. Cars, cell phones, computers… Like fireworks, they come in with a bang and fizzle out before you can appreciate them.

It’s easy to convince yourself that a new car would be cheaper than fixing up the old one. But according to Autoshop Online, the cost to replace the engine and transmission of a car averages around $2,000. That’s only about enough for a down-payment on a new car.

The truth is, cars are usually replaced because newer, better-looking models come out. Cell phones are replaced because they don’t offer polyphonic rings or Internet access. Maybe if we don’t fall for every new gimmick that comes on the market, businesses will get a clue and start making products that last a little longer. What we need first though, is a little owner loyalty.

“Maybe if we don’t fall for every new gimmick that comes on the market,
businesses will get a clue and start making products that last a little longer.”

Now I’m not suggesting that we, like my dad, hold on to something that no longer works. I am not suggesting that we develop attachments to inanimate objects and insist on keeping them past their useful lives. What I do suggest is that we take the time to appreciate what we have. All machines have their quirks … but then so do people and we don’t throw them away.