Collecting random objects has been something people have done since the stone ages. It can only be expected that in the modern world, we tend to collect things too!
“I think the most knickknack kind of thing I’ve been collecting is tags I get from the stuff I buy (i.e. clothes, plushies etc.). Sometimes they are just too cute to throw away, so I keep them!!” said senior Dice Perry. “Other than that, I have my pompompurin collection, my resident evil/leon stuff, I have a small crystal collection, and sometimes I keep all my receipts if that counts… AND I USED TO HAVE A SHOPKINS COLLECTION!”
Collecting isn’t just about gathering random useless things… even if that is part of collecting. It has a lot to do with continuing to keep things that make you happy. In junior Elora May’s case, it’s for laughs!
“I collect spatulas,” said May.“I bought this spatula and didn’t know where to put it, so I was like ‘Huh, it would be funny to hang it on the wall,’ so I did.”
Even with the amount of useless things just lying around, people find joy in making the most of useless objects. It really shows the world’s way of making things meaningful, and being optimistic.
“I think it could benefit someone’s life by giving them a goal or like a side quest in life,” said May.
These types of “side quests” are what make us human! We collectively have these things we enjoy to keep so we continue to keep them!
With all these great things that come out of collecting, there are still downsides in some collectors’ eyes.
“I think collecting can kind of be both a good and bad thing… Good because you’re indulging in collecting this thing you like collecting and you’re just enjoying yourself. You get to have something to look back on like, ‘Wow I remember when I used to collect these,’” said Perry. “But also it can be bad because there’s the possibility it kinda becomes a hoarding problem. Like it can start to clutter your space if you aren’t organizing it and start to become a hassle to take care of. Also money!! Man, the amount of money I’ve spent for my collections to even become collections… It’s a lot…”
After all, collecting isn’t just a hobby—it’s also a lifestyle. When a collector sees something and needs to have it for their collection, it can be hard to stop themselves.
Nevertheless, “one man’s trash is another man’s treasure.”
“I know it’s common for people to collect old things from the past to keep those things preserved, which I always think is cool, but I think some just do it for fun,” said Perry. “Maybe that collection can have some important meaning to someone or be a sort of comfort because it’s their favorite thing… I saw this video of this person who has a collection of this one Crayola crayon color that was discontinued because it’s their favorite color and I think that’s neat. Collecting things is cool and is a way people express their like for something.”
