Let It Scratch

A new iPhone has been released, and with that, comes the complaints. Once again, the devices "susceptibility" to scratches is one of the issues.

The Horror.

Things scratch. These are phones, not crystal amulets. They are tools, like hammers. They go in and out of your pocket, like your worn out wallet. They are not precious items. 

The Japanese know what I'm talking about.

These items encapsulate "Wabi-sabi".

People used to have phones that got worn down before the iPhone, but they didn't complain. It's not that the iPhone is a more special device, it's that people weren't used to dropping a couple of hundred bucks every other year for a new gadget. Most of them took whatever was offered for free. What was once a tool has become a status symbol; like a car. People like to keep their cars shiny.

You can spend your phone's 2 year life worrying about every nick and dent. You can wrap it an unnecessarily bulbous case. Or you can enjoy the device for what it is. A tool.