I’ve got weird and wide feet. So I have to really hunt and search for shoes that actually fit. (Cont)

I like practical stuff. So I wear these into the ground. Still wearing the old pair at work, despite the heel peeling off and creating an air bubble that squeaks every time I step down.

These things are like $110+ but considering how much use, time, and comfort I get from them, they’re really valuable to me.

I do wish more products were designed to last. I’m no environmentalist, but I do hate that we throw away and destroy so many things that should be able to last for generations. Now our iPhones are outdated within six months.

Shoes are obviously consumables, however they should be built to last. I go on hikes and step on metal chips every day, so of course they’ll get destroyed far more easily.

This post isn’t about shoes. It’s about how we think of property. Libertarians talk so much about property rights, that it seems like they never talk about their duties towards their property. A moral duty, to care for created things, be it animal or mineral.

Same thing goes for shoes. Or designing a product that doesn’t take into account the needs of your neighbor (manufacturing overseas while the guy across the street is laidoff from work), or when your customer returns an item because it’s low quality.

Everything is essentially consumable in the long run. Our bodies are tools that die and rot away. Your beloved pickup truck eventually will be sold for $70 in scrap steel. My 1902 Champion Forge Blower, made of cast iron and machined bronze - will eventually fall apart.

But build things made to last. Build things of quality. A good steak is only an extra $10-$15. The contrast is stunning.

Buy a used iPhone. It will stop working eventually, due to planned obsolescence. However, that’s an extra detour around the garbage dump, for a while.

Things are meant to be used. And cared for. My shoes? They’re somewhat incapable of being cared for. At least my old pair! But I can at least try to implement what I say, in how I care for this new pair.

What’s the point of defending our property from being stolen by others or the government, if we simply steal from ourselves, by wasting our property to begin with?