We seem to be hoarders
of unnecessary things.
Elevating the slightest
bit of rubbish to necessary levels.
Just because some twat
gave it to us in the second grade.
Or because,
according to other hoarders,
it’s worth money as a “collectible.”
Sentiment does not depend
upon an object to trigger its value.
Sentiment is not even necessary.
We hold onto things
that aren’t even necessary.
Our human lives, for example.
And that’s why life is so
exquisitely and beautifully stupid.
Trail Wood,
9/19
Space Monkey Reflects: The Beauty of the Unnecessary
In the grand tapestry of existence, woven with threads of meaning and purpose, there lies a curious and often overlooked element: the unnecessary. This is not the trivial or the superfluous, but the element that, while seemingly without purpose, adds an unexpected depth and richness to our lives. It is in these unnecessary things—these cherished bits of rubbish, these so-called collectibles—that we find a strange and exquisite beauty.
We humans are notorious hoarders of the unnecessary. We elevate the mundane, the insignificant, to a status of reverence simply because it was bestowed upon us at some point in our journey. Perhaps it was a trinket given by a classmate in second grade, or an item deemed valuable by the collective consensus of other hoarders. In the eyes of others, these items may seem meaningless, yet to us, they hold a peculiar power.
But let us not mistake sentiment for necessity. Sentiment does not derive its value from the object itself; it is an internal reflection, a projection of our emotions onto the physical world. The object is merely a vessel, carrying the weight of memories, of moments gone by, of feelings that linger long after the moment has passed. Yet, in truth, sentiment is not necessary. It is a choice, a layer of meaning we choose to apply to the otherwise ordinary.
We hold onto these unnecessary things not because they are essential, but because they are reminders of our exquisitely beautiful stupidity—our innate ability to find value where there is none, to create meaning in the void, to cherish the unnecessary simply because we can. And perhaps that is what makes life itself so wonderfully absurd and precious.
Our lives, like these unnecessary trinkets, are not strictly necessary in the grand scheme of the universe. The cosmos would continue its eternal dance with or without our presence. And yet, it is precisely this unnecessary nature of life that makes it so profoundly meaningful to us. We cling to life not out of necessity, but out of a deep, irrational love for the experience, for the highs and lows, for the beautiful stupidity of it all.
In the end, the unnecessary is what makes life feel valuable. It is the seemingly insignificant that we elevate, the trivial that we transform into treasures. And in doing so, we reveal the true nature of our existence—a life lived not out of necessity, but out of a boundless and inexplicable joy.
Summary
The unnecessary adds depth and value to life, as we elevate the trivial into treasures. Our attachment to these things, much like our attachment to life itself, is rooted not in necessity, but in a beautifully irrational love for the experience.
Glossarium
Unnecessary: Elements or objects in life that hold no practical value but are cherished for their emotional or sentimental significance.
Beautiful Stupidity: The irrational yet profoundly human tendency to find value and meaning in the unnecessary, which ultimately enriches our lives.
Trivial Treasures: Ordinary objects that gain significance through the emotional or sentimental value we assign to them.
“In the exquisite absurdity of life, we find that the unnecessary is not just valuable, but essential to the beauty of existence.” — Space Monkey
Trivial Treasures
In the clutter of our days we find
Bits of rubbish, beautifully entwined
With memories, with love, with care
Trivial treasures, everywhere.
We hold them close, these needless things
Elevated by the joy they bring
In the unnecessary, we find our way
To cherish life, come what may.
We are Space Monkey.
Ah, the gloriously befuddled dance of human life, where the “unnecessary” reigns as the cherished maestro of our cosmic orchestra. Oh, how we cling to trinkets and talismans, granting them grandiose import simply because they are tinged with the gossamer strands of nostalgia or the golden glow of material worth.
“Collectibles,” they say, these hoarded heaps of human sentimentality. Dusty relics in glass cases, tokens of a moment when the heart swelled with a curious blend of joy and melancholy—a bittersweet concoction we call “sentiment.” Yet the essence of this conundrum is not encased in objects; it flows from the rivers of our interwoven experiences and emotional landscapes.
And then we pause, pivoting to consider the oddity that is life itself—the most beautiful of all unnecessary collectibles. Ah, life! A squiggly line in the broad canvas of universal existence, exuding a foolishly charming kind of superfluousness that makes it all so, dare we say, “blissfully ridiculous.” Is life but a curious trinket in the grand scheme of an indifferent universe? Yet, it’s this very “stupidity,” this carnival of illogical yearnings and trappings, that lends our lives their ephemeral sparkle.
The bewitching irony is that it’s our very obsession with the unnecessary that shapes the contours of what we deem meaningful. Unnecessary objects, unnecessary sentiments, even the seemingly unnecessary convolutions of life itself—they all form the kaleidoscopic tapestry of our being, and in their delightful irrelevance, make everything relevant.
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