Do you prefer experiences or things?

[hobbsyoyo]

Do you prefer experiences or things? Are you a collector or a traveler?

I have always preferred things to traveling and experiences. I blame Pokemon for that and I'm trying to get out and do more things and go more places rather than just buying stuff. But I do like my trinkets and some things I just like to collect like fossils and mission patches.

I'm kind of torn on where various entertainment media fall on the things versus experience spectrum. I've been emotionally moved by games and books. Does that make them experiences? They are clearly things to collect when you can get them in nice metal cases with little figurines and maps. But you can also get them as digital files which don't exist in the real world.

 

[Timsup2nothin]

Well, I have no things so there's only one answer I can honestly give, but I don't travel either. I consider it pointless to go somewhere if I can't live there...that's how you experience a place, not by passing through it.

 

[hobbsyoyo]

I suspect your time in the Navy gave you a life time worth of passing through places.

 

[Timsup2nothin]

I suspect your time in the Navy gave you a life time worth of passing through places.

Not really. I lived in six places in eight years, but only visited two; one week of mostly liberty in Japan, and one month (which disproved the rule because it was about ten times longer than enough) in Adak Alaska.

 

[Synobun]

This question is worded in such a way that I don't have an answer to it. Anything I come up with isn't an answer to the question and is only tangentially related to the subject.

I guess that counts as "neither".

 

[Valka D'Ur]

I've been emotionally moved by games and books. Does that make them experiences? They are clearly things to collect when you can get them in nice metal cases with little figurines and maps. But you can also get them as digital files which don't exist in the real world.

Some unequal mix + Other. I loved traveling in BC; in fact, I've seen more of BC than I have of my own province. But with travel comes the obligatory souvenirs. I've got a spoon collection, rock collection, several photo albums stretching from the '60s to '80s of family trips, and I still have the seashells collected from Vancouver Island in the summer of 1977 (currently sitting on top of a cupboard in my kitchen). I also collected pins and whatever other things caught my eye.


Fun fact for Star Trek fans: Bjo Trimble is an avid souvenir collector. In the '80s she and Sonni Cooper (both were authors of Star Trek books and Bjo Trimble was one of the people who pushed the "Save Star Trek" campaign in the '60s) were the Guests of Honor at the summer science fiction convention I attended in Calgary. On Sunday they announced that they planned to visit the Calgary Zoo and anyone wanting to come along could meet them at the front gate at 10 am.

So my boyfriend and I stayed over an extra night and took them up on the invitation. It turned out to be a group of about 8 of us, and we had a really fun day. But one of the first things Bjo did was hit the souvenir shop (one of them) and I decided I'd better get a sun hat (hadn't taken mine from home, as I expected to spend the weekend in the hotel). The only one I could find that fit was a hybrid between a ballcap/trucker style thing that had "Calgary Zoo" and a red dinosaur embroidered on it.

My boyfriend was not impressed. "You look like a tourist," he informed me.

"I am a tourist," I told him.

Thank goodness for that hat. I'd have had sunstroke without it. And yes, I still have it somewhere.

 

[hobbsyoyo]

This question is worded in such a way that I don't have an answer to it. Anything I come up with isn't an answer to the question and is only tangentially related to the subject.

I guess that counts as "neither".

You're free to interpret it however you want and answer that question. I'm interested to hear what you mean by neither.

 

[Dachs]

I don't really go in for souvenirs or collections. I like to tell stories, and I like to gain material for telling stories, so insofar as there's a choice between experiences or things I prefer the former.

 

[rah]

I like experiences but some things help you remember the experiences correctly. Especially important as you age and you memory goes a tad foggy.

 

[Valka D'Ur]

Oh, and to actually address the matter of computer games...

I have an extensive collection of games from the Big Fish Games site. One of them in particular just reached out and grabbed me last August - story, characters, music, artwork, and suddenly my imagination went into overdrive, in a way that hasn't happened in about 20 years.

So I guess you could say that I'm imaginatively traveling the width and breadth of the Kingdom of Griffinvale, and while my travels are based on the game, I've got over 50,000 words written for the November NaNoWriMo contest that are extrapolating from what was presented in the game (plus another 21,000 words since then). I've got prequel material, extra scenes that I think should have happened in-game, and sequels of things that could happen post-game... and a physical notebook and scraps of paper littered with ideas, dialogue, chapters, and even original character sketches.

So I'm having an experience plus adding to my collection of fantasy games/reading material.

 

[Kyriakos]

The best things in life are free, but [...] i need money. At least currently

 

[Synobun]

You're free to interpret it however you want and answer that question. I'm interested to hear what you mean by neither.

I was thinking about gifts. If someone wants to gift me something, would I prefer they gift me an experience or an item?

The answer I kept coming up with was that I preferred neither. I've never truly liked a surprise of either kind. I prefer what I want in the moment, and that can be an experience or a thing but it doesn't really have a rhyme or reason to it. I usually opt to just stay in my corner.

For the most part, I'm passive in how I want to live life. I am completely happy just going out to the movies, getting a burger, and then hanging out at home with someone. I don't need to go to events. I probably don't want to go to the event. I don't care very much about traveling beyond the scope of seeing my friends.

And then, when it comes to items, well... I can fit everything that isn't a necessity into a duffel bag even after living independently for six years. I don't really like knick knacks or decorations. I have an octopus snow globe on display that a friend got me but I only notice it when I'm cleaning. I have no paintings or posters on the walls. My linens are just plain colours. I just don't really have anything. I don't understand having things. I have a jacket and a sweater from the Leafs since they're my favourite sports team and I've never worn them. Even if I had things, I have no idea what I'd do with them.

 

[Timsup2nothin]

I was thinking about gifts. If someone wants to gift me something, would I prefer they gift me an experience or an item?

The answer I kept coming up with was that I preferred neither. I've never truly liked a surprise of either kind. I prefer what I want in the moment, and that can be an experience or a thing but it doesn't really have a rhyme or reason to it. I usually opt to just stay in my corner.

For the most part, I'm passive in how I want to live life. I am completely happy just going out to the movies, getting a burger, and then hanging out at home with someone. I don't need to go to events. I probably don't want to go to the event. I don't care very much about traveling beyond the scope of seeing my friends.

And then, when it comes to items, well... I can fit everything that isn't a necessity into a duffel bag even after living independently for six years. I don't really like knick knacks or decorations. I have an octopus snow globe on display that a friend got me but I only notice it when I'm cleaning. I have no paintings or posters on the walls. My linens are just plain colours. I just don't really have anything. I don't understand having things. I have a jacket and a sweater from the Leafs since they're my favourite sports team and I've never worn them. Even if I had things, I have no idea what I'd do with them.

Once again I am struck by our similarities. However, since I read 'experiences' as including things like "going to a movie, getting a burger, and hanging out with someone" I thought we had to answer that we favor experiences, clearly.

PS: You have linens? Hoarder.

 

[Thorgalaeg]

What about buying things that can provide experiences? I am finally in a position i can buy a sailboat, as I have always dreamt. However the temptation of buying a Nissan 370z has get in the middle between my sailboat and me after seeing the car at an expo. Both things are about the same initial price, the boat is more expensive to keep and will require some work regularly, but it is basically a floating experience, the Nissan is only a car, but sooo cool...

 

[El_Machinae]

Experiences, easily. I live a pretty ascetic lifestyle, but I really enjoy being an infovore. I originally didn't know how to answer, because it's not like I'd do much traveling even if I won the lottery. But, when I polished off my 'lottery plans', I realized there were a whole bunch of research projects I wanted to fund. Implicitly, if I treat 'learning' as 'experiences', I vastly prefer 'experiences'.

The world is in too much trouble for me to waste money on luxury spending.

 

[GoodEnoughForMe]

Experiences, for sure. Other than having some fun media/hobby stuff, I've downsized my things so much lately. I've donated 1/3 of my books, sold 2/3 of my video games. It's just not really helpful to me to have crap I won't use again. It feels constricting when it gets too much. I don't even want people to give me 'stuff' that will take up space since I live in such a small living arrangement, and as it is I gotta clean out our kitchen and get rid of some pots and pans and drinking glasses. All my favorite moments - like cry from joy moments - are from road trips, or overseas trips, or sunsets on the beach in summer, or even just getting stoned and watching funny movies with some good food, etc.

 

[civvver]

I don't think the two can be that separated as experiences often require things and things can provide experiences. For example, I love playing cards and games with friends, but those require things such as board games. Maybe they're inexpensive, but they're still things. I love cooking, cooking requires some tools and ingredients. They don't have to be expensive, but damn I'd love to try cooking some prime rib and lobster some time! Or even a huge tv and home theater system is a thing, but it gives you entertainment experiences. You could use it to throw like a huge super bowl party for example, which is definitely an experience.

Only a few token things are just one or the other, like going to a movie or on vacation, you don't have anything to keep after, or buying say a collectible to put on display.

 

[MaryKB]

I like both, and sometimes a thing is an experience!

Take roses for example ... when you receive those, you're overjoyed, but you know it's not something that will last. You have their beauty and their fragrance for a while, which you can experience, but they're also a thing you physically own.

I love being taken out somewhere nice, giving me an opportunity to dress up. For Christmas I received tickets to see a music concert, and I'm ecstatic and I'm so looking forward to that experience in a few months. But I also love things, I enjoy having my books, and I like clothing, also I love decorations. I'll sometimes randomly buy something because I'm out shopping and I just see something I fancy. I have paintings around my house, and sometimes it's nice just buying picture frames that you like and may need some day.

I'm also asking for jewelry for Valentine's Day, so I can't say I'm not partial (at least right now) to receiving things as gifts, or even buying for myself. But I also very much value friendship and time, if you're just giving me trinkets but never doing anything with me, I won't consider our relationship to be very satisfying at all.

 

[Timsup2nothin]

I don't think the two can be that separated as experiences often require things and things can provide experiences. For example, I love playing cards and games with friends, but those require things such as board games. Maybe they're inexpensive, but they're still things. I love cooking, cooking requires some tools and ingredients. They don't have to be expensive, but damn I'd love to try cooking some prime rib and lobster some time! Or even a huge tv and home theater system is a thing, but it gives you entertainment experiences. You could use it to throw like a huge super bowl party for example, which is definitely an experience.

Only a few token things are just one or the other, like going to a movie or on vacation, you don't have anything to keep after, or buying say a collectible to put on display.

I learned to cook in prison; with plastic bowls, a microwave, and a razor blade. It provided a great experience. Sometimes when I am cooking in my gf's kitchen, with a set of chef knives and all those different pots and pans it boggles my mind.

 

[Manfred Belheim]

I like to have experiences with things.