The Book of Everyday Things (English Edition)

Books, pillows, shoes, pens, watches, toys, money, toothbrushes.... These are things we encounter in our daily life. They are so ordinary that we take them for granted, as if they’ve always been part of our lives. As a matter of fact, the ability to create objects is probably how we humans define our species and make us different from other living creatures.

Just look around us and see the amount of stuff we surround ourselves with and accumulate throughout our lives. A human being might enter this life with nothing but the first breath, and bring nothing into his grave other than what others adorn on his lifeless body. And yet, during the course of his life, he is dependent on objects not only to enable him to function but also to give him a sense of identity and purpose: Things and objects created and manufactured by his fellow humans with which to control and manipulate his environment and determine his destiny. Objects, however, fill not only the spaces they occupy but also end up cluttering and clogging up the whole planet while at the same time leaving less and less space for other living beings to thrive.

The Book of Everyday Things reminds us that despite our species’ ability to conquer Nature and create amazing objects to make our lives easier, our obsession with producing and consuming things might just detract us from ever understanding the real purpose of our existence. That perhaps true happiness does not only lie in manmade things but in appreciating what Nature has given us.