Written by Joseph Holevinski, Converge multimedia journalism intern and Senior at Gwinnett School of Math, Science & Technology (GSMST)
We live in a world where consumerism is the norm. Every day, whether we plan to or not, we usually end up buying something: food, clothes, items, etc. Some of these items are used regularly or are necessary for survival, and some are bought just to own or put on display. Not all items are created equally; some hold a higher personal value than others. What if you had to choose three items that you couldn’t live without? What would these three items be that you deem as a necessity above all else? For the purposes of this discussion, I will be excluding things needed for survival like food, water, shelter, heating and cooling, and so on.
The first item that I would say I couldn’t live without is my phone. While that may seem like an over-exaggeration or an unnecessary reliance on technology, I see my phone as one of the most crucial elements in networking, maintaining organization and staying updated with the world around me. I use my phone to talk to my friends and family and it is vitally important in emergencies to contact someone that can help. Without it, I would be almost entirely disconnected from everyone who I’m not currently with.
Additionally, my phone is how I keep track of my schedule and what I need to do for the day. I use it to remind me to do certain tasks or activities, and without it I would get behind on things I need to do, and I wouldn’t be able to reach out to others for assistance.
The second item that I couldn’t live without is my car. There are definitely different forms of transportation that I could utilize to get around, however, I would not have as much freedom and ease as I do with my car. All other forms of transportation would greatly increase the amount of time required to get to where I want to go, and some limit where I can go entirely. Living without a car wouldn’t be impossible, but it would be very detrimental to my current ease of transportation.
The third item I couldn’t live without has to be caffeinated products. Even though consuming caffeine is not an absolute necessity, having the ability to consume caffeine when I need it is very helpful for me throughout my day-to-day life. Some days I wouldn’t be able to stay awake without it. While caffeine is definitely addictive and something I shouldn’t have to rely on, it is something I couldn’t live without.
Not everyone’s list will be the same and it wasn’t something I could decide easily. Although, after looking at all the items I use on a daily basis, these three are the ones I rely on the most. All of them I could hypothetically live without, but since I still have access to those three things, they will continue to be present in my day-to-day life.
