One of my favorite things about our move here is our proximity to not one but two renowned universities. In addition to joining the local municipal library, as a city resident I also have access to the expansive research library at Washington and Lee University (pictured above). Suffice it to say that for a book lover and writer like me it is a dream come true. Just the other day I availed myself of the extensive collection of books by and about Henry David Thoreau.

Among the dozens of titles available I came upon one in which Thoreau distinguishes between comforts, luxuries, and tools, hence the title of this post. Besides what he called the “necessaries” of food, clothing, shelter, and fuel, Thoreau also had three other categories of material resources, namely, “comforts,” which serve to make our lives more pleasurable; “luxuries,” which are often superfluous and even harmful; and “tools,” which serve to further our self-development and help us achieve our life goals.

As Thoreau suggested, “Most of the luxuries, and many of the so-called comforts of life, are not only not indispensable but positive hindrances to the elevation of mankind” (emphasis mine). And even our tools can come between us and our development, according to Thoreau. “Men have become the tools of their tools,” Thoreau stressed. “The best works of art are the expression of man’s struggle to free himself from this condition.”

For a gadget guy like myself, I am learning that one way to curtail the continual cycle of updates and upgrades is to try and limit my exposure to the marketing messages meant to entice me toward the “new and improved.” Having just invested after several years in a new laptop and smartphones, necessary tools for me and mine, I endeavor to tune out other offers for electronic toys like tablets and watches, which are superfluous to our needs.

And after a flirtation with electronic readers, I have returned to my first love of print books, which I much favor reading and highlighting the old fashioned way. I still download the occasional e-book but browsing a traditional bookstore for serendipitous selections or perusing the shelves of a university library still supply the type of satisfactory sensation that technology tools fall short of fulfilling. In my book, analog trumps digital as the ultimate luxury.