“Wow,” you might say, “big deal. People build desks every day.” You’d be right, but I didn’t just build a desk that you can buy from Ikea or Walmart. I built a desk with real lumber, tools, and my own two hands. Using scrap lumber we had, and only buying necessary hardware and paint, I built a solid piece of furniture that most people won’t be able to say they’ve done. It got me thinking.
This… was not a hard task to complete. I think the hardest part would’ve been cutting the wood, but even that was relatively easy. This project got me thinking about my place in the world and its ebbs and flows with how society wants us to consume the works and labors of others. How it wants us to buy premade things, that are designed to fail at some point, from a factory instead of going out and making what we need. Now, I’m not blind to the fact that we can’t produce everything ourselves. I mean, I could never make the laptop I’m writing this on, or my phone, or my car. Nor could I ever make the cotton or polyester of the clothes I’m wearing. I don’t own metal or mineral mines, a lumberyard, or any number of things required for producing the required materials of modern life. That doesn't mean you or I can’t reduce the amount I rely on the labor of others.
Not only have a built a desk, but I also harvested my first tomatoes. I even cooked one for breakfast today, and it tasted better than any store-bought tomato ever will. Not just because it was freshly grown and harvested, but because I had put in the work to plant the tomatoes, cultivate them to harvest, and cook them. When you do the work yourself, the result is far more enjoyable in the end. Not only that, but you are adding value to your family and community as a person instead of just being someone who consumes. We all consume, but you can add back to what you consume. Growing your own food is just a simple and efficient way to become a producer in life. If you grow your own fruits, veggies, and grains you stop yourself from just consuming the production of others and start producing yourself. Start yourself a garden. You don’t have to start big. I started with one raised bed and some onions. You can start with a shovel, a hoe, and a spot in your yard. Expand it every year and add more plants or plots. Start producing.
I know I’m not the first person to say “Be a producer, not a consumer.” But what does it mean? It means don’t be a person who adds nothing to the world, their community, or their family. Don’t be a person who just goes to work, goes to the store and buys everything, repairs nothing, makes nothing, and wastes their off days on mindless entertainment. Now, there’s no problem with consuming mindless entertainment for your own joy in moderation but do it in moderation only. I started a garden to grow my own vegetables. I built myself a desk that will last me years longer than a cheap particle board one will, but does that alone make me a producer? No, but it’s a step forward on the path.
"I built a desk with real lumber, tools, and my own two hands. Using scrap lumber we had, and only buying necessary hardware and paint, I built a solid piece of furniture that most people won’t be able to say they’ve done."
I've done the same, only my project was an entertainment center that took my dad and I twenty-one days to complete. We sanded each plank down, measured it, drilled the holes, used wood dowels and corner cuts to join it together. The only modern parts we used were the hinges for the front doors and glass cover. I've still got that thing in the garage. I couldn't bring myself to get rid of it when I couldn't fit the new TV in it.
I've even toyed with idea of taking up leathercrafting.