Entropy: Consumer Society

April 6th, Entropy: Consumer Society I am curious as to how much of the goods of our consumer society eventually enter a stage of entropy. It must be a figure nearing 99.9%. How many automobiles become classics or collectors items; maybe some furniture, some artwork, some buildings, but still a very small percentage of all that is produced. All eventually to return to a state of uniformity.

This relatively new Ford may not give the appearance of being broken outside of its surrounding environment, but here it is already well into a state of entropy; as much so as the weeds that grow around it. It has joined the rest of the trash that results from the induced need to purchase. However, I do like the blue sky reflected in the windshield. I am not sure if it is "pie in the sky," or possibly the prospects of better days ahead, optimisim.

Today’s entropy trip turned out to be very interesting. I had started out to find a chair which I had seen abandoned on the way to the Lake hoping that heavy trash pickup had not get retrieved it. However, we had not eaten and were having problems finding a place to eat so we turned back. We had passed this trailer house and abandoned car so I decided to stop and photograph it instead of the chair.

I ended up getting a portrait of a passerby that wanted to know what the heck I was doing in the bargain. After eating I wanted to see if I could find something to illustrate Bryant’s Thanatopsis, “…earth that nourished thee shall claim thy growth to be resolved to earth again… The Oak shall send his roots abroad and pierce thy mould…” I got several photographs, some that fit the theme, some that I just liked. In all, it was a short but interesting trip.