Hoarding

I'm in the middle of cooking dinner but I was just thinking about something and it has to do with materialism as it relates to ebooks. This may seem off the wall - and if it does then I guess it's just off the wall - but I read quite often about people who collect, literally, hundreds of books, simply just collecting them because they are free. I wonder at people like this. Why? Often they even admit that they don't read most of the books they download onto their ereader.

I have no interest in downloading material that I don't immediately want nor do I want to download books just because they are free. To me this smacks of hoarding and people who hoard things often have psychological issues. At least it seems that way in my opinion. You ought to see some of the people that get kicked out of my apartment building. Hoarding is not normal behavior. After all, why collect stuff you don't value?

I mention this because I find it very strange. I can see downloading 15 -20 books. But hundreds? Come on, son! Hundreds of books just because they are free? I guess people will do whatever they want but it seems a big waste of time and ereader space. My books are free but I would find it odd if people are just downloading them *only* for that reason. I have to be honest, I have yet to download a free ebook. The books that catch my interest, indie and trad cost money. I have nothing against free ebooks at all it's just that the books I want to read do not happen to be free. They range anywhere from $0.99 to $14.99 (shakes fist at George R. R. Martin's publisher) and I buy them because I've done a bit of footwork to ensure I'm getting a quality read. Why download something just because it's free, I ask again? Especially if what you are collecting is trash? Yes, trash is in the eye of the beholder. I realize that and, no, I'm not some book snob who thinks only some people should be allowed to publish. After all, there are those out there that feel my work isn't so good (of course I disagree), but there are ways of sifting through stuff that you may not like.

The real issue for me is materialism versus simplicity. Others can do what they like, but you certainly won't catch me downloading ebooks just because I can. The book has to have a story that really catches my interest and I don't download more books until I'm finished with the one or two books I've just downloaded. It's so easy to collect so many things that you just have stuff everywhere cluttering up your life. I'm busy trying to keep my life simple, not add more clutter. That also goes for digital stuff!

PS I want to make it clear that I'm not talking about collectors, who value the things they collect. I enjoy collecting certain kinds of stamps (my favorite being the Edgar Allen Poe The Raven series. I don't think collecting and hoarding are the same thing.